- Title: PREVIEW Lawn-sign wars: US voters use trackers, cameras to deter political theft
- Date: 30th October 2024
- Summary: SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 28, 2024) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPRINGFIELD, MI, RESIDENT, LAURA MCCASKILL, SAYING: “And I think we waited 20, 30 minutes. And the young man and his friend came down the street in a pickup truck, and then we all got out. And I know people have been, like, why is this woman filming her feet and the ground? And we didn't know. And I didn't want to - I wanted audio just in case anyone threatened us. But I didn't want to expose anyone's identity at that time. We had no evidence at that time. We had the air tracker. And then I began to film.”
- Embargoed: 13th November 2024 10:28
- Keywords: Harris Presidential election Trump campaign lawn stolen tracking devices yard signs
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: US
- Topics: North America,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA006528928102024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Tired of her Kamala Harris signs disappearing from her Springfield, Missouri, front yard, Laura McCaskill taped a tracking device to one to see where it might end up.
That led her to a blue Kia sedan in a nearby town, where a young man admitted he had stolen her sign, along with dozens of others, according to a video shot by McCaskill. "Um, yeah, so if you want them back they're right there," he said as he stood next to a trunk filled with Harris signs.
As the Nov. 5 election between Harris and Republican Donald Trump draws near, people across the U.S. are reporting a rash of yard-sign thefts – and turning to a range of remedies to stop them, from surveillance cameras and GPS trackers to low-tech solutions like glitter and hot peppers to deter would-be thieves.
Vincent Panico, a Republican deputy mayor in Readington, New Jersey, used an Apple AirTag to track a missing yard sign ahead of a primary election earlier this year.
Police found it in the garage of a member of the town committee, John Albanese, a fellow Republican who has feuded with Panico in an intra-party power struggle. Albanese has pleaded not guilty.
His lawyer, Scott Wilhelm, said he was being targeted by Panico and other local rivals.
Campaign signs have been a fixture of the U.S. political landscape since the 19th century, but studies suggest they may not do much to bolster the fortunes of the candidates they advertise. "Yard signs don't vote" is a common mantra among political operatives.
Clearly, some don't appreciate the display.
Still, they are clearly a hit with voters. Roughly 1 in 10 Americans display yard signs for a presidential candidate, according to Florida International University professor Todd Makse, who found that those who display them are primarily interested in showing their political allegiances, rather than swaying undecided neighbors.
Yard signs can serve as a flash point in an era of heightened political tensions. A man in Topeka, Kansas, was convicted of aggravated battery last year for shooting at teens he suspected of stealing Trump signs before the 2020 election and in Michigan an avowed Trump hater ran over an elderly man who was replacing vandalized Trump signs.
Prosecution of sign thieves can be hard, officials say, given the low dollar value of the item stolen and the difficulty of identifying suspects who typically strike at night.
In some cases, the damages can be substantial -- at $20 apiece, the 60 Harris signs found in the car trunk in Missouri would cost $1,200 to replace.
But the damage extends beyond a sign's value, victims say, with some arguing that it violates their free-speech rights and can amount to political intimidation.
McCaskill filed a criminal complaint against the young man who admitted to taking her sign. He said he was inspired by a TikTok video.
Police say they are investigating the incident, and the young man's mother did not respond to requests for comment.
Those who are arrested can face serious penalties. Michael Shaw, 54, of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, faces up to 12 years in prison and $55,000 in fines after he was arrested for stealing signs and flags in what police said were 11 separate incidents. He did not return a call seeking comment.
In New Jersey, Panico's woes did not end with his rival's arrest. Republican signs have been disappearing again, though surveillance cameras have captured a different suspect – a school bus driver. Panico says he plans to speak to the man's employer.
(Production: Soren Larson, Brad Horn, Andy Sullivan, Kia Johnson, Christine Kiernan) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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