Campaign yard sign theft becoming prominent in Columbia

Columbia residents have increasingly woken up to find their campaign yard signs have been stolen or burned.

By Grace Clarke

Published Oct. 3, 2008

Columbia residents are finding no alternative for the cheap method of voicing political stance.

As both presidential nominees champion freedoms, Columbia yard sign theft has risen, leaving people wondering if removing a sign is more of a statement than displaying one.

Local Democratic and Republican offices have been inundated with requests for more yard signs as townspeople are waking up to empty lawns or torched remains hanging from metal stands.

Although the pace of replacing signs is brisk, activists and the opinionated public have grown weary of trekking to distribution points to purchase signs that may go missing the very next day.

"This is the first election I can vote in," said MU senior Suzanne Iovaldi, who spent last Saturday campaigning locally for presidential candidate Barack Obama. "Our sign lasted about 24 hours before it was stolen. But it's not like I can just go get another free one."

The theft, and cost of replacement, can strike a nerve. The popular yard signs, which cost campaigns less than $1 apiece according to wholesale giant Campaign Supply, run a suggested $4 to $8 donation. And even then, donating doesn't guarantee a sign.

"Seems to me these offices should be paying us," Republican Dave Bear said. "Not the other way around."

Bear's contention is not an indication of a widely felt deterrent as signs are running in short supply, if not completely unavailable.

Don Johnson, an Obama volunteer and Columbia resident, said yard signs are "selling like hotcakes" at the downtown office.

"We had a lady walk in today and buy four signs to replace stolen ones in her neighborhood," he said.

The tag-you're-it theft has only fanned the flames of opposition.

"The signs inspire people both ways," MU College Republicans Chairman Jonathan Ratliff said. "If you see the other party's signs everywhere, you get motivated to put up yours."

Missouri for McCain-Palin's local "Victory Office" advertises no-cost signs at the Vandiver Drive location, but volunteers ask for donations in exchange for what some citizens are now calling free promotion.

McCain officials are quick to strike down the argument in an effort to increase morale and energy,

"We've put emphasis on the grassroots effort to make sure we're reaching locals in their environment," said Tina Hervey, Missouri Republican Party Director of Communications.

According to a 2007 poll conducted by the New York Times, CBS and MTV, 58 percent of young people voice interest in this year's elections, compared to just 35 percent interest in the 2004 election.  In addition, nearly 75 percent of young people say that they are registered to vote, and of the 25 percent who aren't, 77 percent say that they will register before November 4.

"There is tremendous interest in this election," said Gail Compton, Communication Director to the St. Louis City Mayor's Office, adding that bumper stickers and yard signs are becoming trendy.

Iovaldi proposes her own solution to the problem.

"Maybe instead of getting a new sign, my roommates and I will just let our grass grow and mow 'Obama' into the lawn," she said.