Hey, Maine, Stealing Political Signs Is Illegal

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A Maine neighborhood watch is chatting about missing political signs in the area. The Facebook group Brewer Neighborhood Watch started a conversation on Sunday about missing political signs from both sides of the political spectrum.

Some commenters mentioned they were missing their Trump signs, others mentioned their Biden signs, while others mentioned other political candidates running for other positions in our upcoming election in November.

It is a heightened political climate where people are pretty sensitive about the opposition or even politics in general and where people might be tempted to lash out and take a political sign to remove it from view of their town or neighborhood.

But, doing so is committing illegal acts.

The Scarborough Police Department mentioned this on Facebook back in 2012:

The post is reminding everybody that it is illegal to take these temporary, political signs. The particular statute listed in the Scarborough Police Department's Facebook post has since been repealed and replaced by §1917-B in 2015:

§1917-B. Unlawful removal of temporary signs

A person who takes, defaces or disturbs a sign placed within the public right-of-way in accordance with section 1913-A, subsection 1, paragraph L commits a civil violation for which a fine of up to $250 may be adjudged. This section does not apply to a person authorized to remove signs placed within the public right-of-way in accordance with section 1913-A, subsection 1, paragraph L. [PL 2015, c. 403, §6 (NEW).]

So if you break the law and take or deface a political sign on someone's property or at a right-of-way area placed by a candidate, what are the consequences? First of all you get a civil violation on your record plus a fine of up to $250.

If there's anything we've learned this year, the year of COVID, it's keep your hands to yourself. Let others have their say- it is the beauty of America- and take that passion and bring it to the polls on Election Day.

Coming up tomorrow we'll point out the legal reasons why your political sign may have disappeared.

Filed Under: maine laws, Maine political season 2020

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