Who is responsible for removing campaign signs in NC? Not the candidates.
Before North Carolina elections, candidates (and those working on their behalf) put up signs all along our roads and highways. But when the election is over, whose responsibility is it to take them down?
Not the candidates.
The rules may change a little from town to town, but what we learned from state and local officials is if a candidate doesn’t remove signs by a certain period of time, a state or municipal entity will take care of it, ultimately making it a taxpayer responsibility.
North Carolina state law says:
- Campaign signs are allowed from 30 days before early voting to 10 days after Election Day.
- During that 10-day window after an election, a sign can only be removed by a candidate. This gives candidates a chance to retrieve their signs if they want them back.
- After the 10-day window, signs are considered “unlawfully placed and abandoned property,” and anyone is allowed to remove and throw them out.
Note that the language of the law is that anyone is allowed to remove the signs after 10 days, not that any particular party must remove the signs. (The law, changed in 2019, used to say only campaigns and candidates could remove their own signs.)
So for this election, that means that by Nov. 18, remaining campaign signs can be removed by anyone.
Local ordinances might stretch these dates a bit. Durham, for example, gives candidates 15 days to collect their signs before they’re considered abandoned property.
Campaign signs at polling places need to be removed within 36 hours, said Stacy Beard, Wake County’s communications director.
Who actually cleans up campaign signs?
So if a candidate doesn’t clean up all their signs by the 18th, who will?
“We have no way of knowing,” said Patrick Gannon, public information director for the NC Board of Elections. “Some cities/towns may clean them up. Some individuals may remove them.”
We checked in with Raleigh and Durham to see what their rules are.
▪ In Raleigh, the city’s zoning code enforcement group is tasked with removing signs that the candidate doesn’t take care of by the 18th, said Julia Milstead, Raleigh’s public information officer.
▪ Durham allows candidates 15 days to collect their signs (instead of 10). The City-Council Planning Department sends emails to candidates to remind them to pick up their signs, said Beverly Thompson, Durham’s communications department director. Durham’s code enforcement officers will then remove all signs remaining in public spaces.
Why would anyone else want the signs? Glad you asked.
A local Reddit thread is giving some good ideas for upcycling and reusing campaign signs, which can be made of plastic, laminated paper or other materials.
• Beekeeping: Some beekeepers request these signs for their hives.
“Some use [the signs] to catch Varroa mites over the screened bottom boards. I run solid bottoms, but I’m interested in using them for Small Hive Beetle traps,” one Reddit user said.
• Gardening: “The metal supports for campaign signs are nifty garden plant supports. I’ve even made bird houses out of the gator board signs and used them for other projects,” said another.
They can be fixed into DIY tomato cages, and someone suggested building “a pretty cool bat house.”
• Sledding: “They make GREAT sleds if you bend the wicket part up into handles,” a Reddit user recommended.
If you do want to snag some campaign signs, don’t wait. Cities might start sending their teams to rip them up quickly after the holding period is over.
Recycling, disposing options for political signs
If you collect that signs that you want to dispose of, try to recycle them first. Earth911, a sustainability and recycling website, has tips for properly disposing campaign signs. The following advice is taken from their website, earth911.com:
“Election yard signage typically has two parts: the metal stake that goes into the ground to support the sign and the sign itself with the campaign messaging. Neither of these two parts is recyclable in regular municipal curbside or drop-off recycling collection. These two sign components must be dropped off at a specialized recycling collection site.
▪ The metal stake is typically made of steel. This material is recyclable through scrap metal recycling yards. We recommend collecting a full load of metal to recycle before you make the trip — you might even make a bit of money for your scrap metal.
▪ The campaign sign is usually made of one of three different materials: plastic film stretched between spokes of the steel stakes, cardboard that is coated or laminated with plastic for durability, or corrugated plastic, often referred to by the brand name Coroplast.
The plastic film type of sign can usually be recycled along with film plastic bags at a local grocery store or other big box stores. If possible, it’s a good idea to contact your local collection site to confirm they accept this type of plastic film.
Both the laminated cardboard and corrugated plastic are hard to recycle and will need to be dropped off at a specialty recycling drive for these materials. Check with your local municipality or solid waste district — they may hold recycling collection events after the elections wrap up. Usually, they accept both the sign and metal parts together. Because municipalities and solid waste districts will collect a great deal of the same material, these groups will be able to drop off the materials at a specialist recycling facility that would not accept one or two signs from individuals.”
(Source: earth911.com)
This story was originally published November 11, 2022 at 11:57 AM.
