When is it time for the signs?

Our Opinion

Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

A lot of time and expense will go into them, and a year from now, with the election just days away, voters will be utterly sick of them.

That's because many of them will have been up since Aug. 1, and perhaps much longer. St. Mary's County's zoning rules say that campaign signs can go up on private property, with the owner's permission, 45 days ahead of a primary election and must come down by 15 days after the last election is over. Next year's primary election is scheduled for Sept. 14.

But those rules, and others elsewhere in the state, have been challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union as a violation of First Amendment rights.

The ACLU's point is that people should be permitted to post expressions of their political views anytime they like on private property. In truth it's hard to argue with that. So the county government is now trying to figure out how it can exercise some control over campaign signs, or if it even wants to.

Who really wants to see campaign signs go up next winter or spring? Probably not even most of the candidates. The political sign wars are like an arms race. Most candidates put up signs to help show that they are a credible, serious threat to campaign rivals. As much as regular voters grumble about signs by the time Election Day draws near, there are those who believe that a large number of signs is a measure of a vigorous campaign with widespread support.

So what's the answer to this debate between free speech and the government's authority to control signs during political campaigns? The best suggestion so far, it seems, comes from Walter Burch, a citizen who closely monitors and comments on the rules government sets for all sorts of signs in St. Mary's County.

The county's sign ordinance requires a permit for permanent nonpolitical signs. (None is required for campaign signs during the designated political season.) Burch suggests that the county keep the rules in place that allow political signs without a permit 45 days before the first election and 15 days after the last one. Anyone who wants to post one outside those time limits should apply for a permit, he says.

This makes sense. The barrier to campaign signs all year long would not be absolute, but it keeps intact the current timeframe.

In order to avoid alienating their fellow citizens, most candidates may choose to honor it, although they would be free to do otherwise if it suits their campaign strategy.