Living in the country, one becomes familiar with differ- ent growing seasons. Each plant has it’s own growing season each year. Ever so often, an odd crop pops up out of the blue and hangs around for awhile. That crop is made up of political signs.
Clay County residents don’t have to travel far to see these tools of name recognition. In fact, it would be a bigger challenge to travel along a county road without seeing a rectangle asking for your vote.
Even with modern technology, signs seem to be a “go to” for political candidates. Signs are also used in private yards as a way for homeowners to voice their support. Some keep it simple while others have displays set up akin to Christmas decorations.
Copycat placement seems to defeat the purpose of a political sign. One candidate will find what they perceive as a perfect spot and plant their banner. Not long after,
another candidate will see that sign unopposed and plant their own mini-billboard shoulder to shoulder. Before too long, a wad of signs have taken over the roadside and are no longer individuals but instead one large mass.
North Carolina under- stands the need for the signs, but also understands there should be regulations placed on the advertisements. A list of rules provided by the Clay County Board of Elections include:
• No sign shall be permitted in the right-of-way of a fully controlled access highway.
• No sign shall be closer than three feet from the edge of the pavement of the road.
• No sign shall obscure motorist visibility at an intersection.
• No sign shall be higher than 42 inches above the edge of the pavement of the road.
• No sign shall be larger than 864 square inches.
• No sign shall obscure or replace another sign.
Along with those rules covering sign placement, the state also addresses sign removal.
• Any political sign remaining in the right-of-way of the State highway system more than 40 days after the primary or election day is deemed unlawfully placed abandoned property and a person may remove and dispose of such political sign without penalty.
Whether you see the signs as political season decorations or a blot on fall scenery, this year’s crop only has a few more days until it withers away.