Campaign Yard Sign Laws in Virginia
Candidates and campaigns that fail to follow Virginia's yard sign laws risk a fine of $100 for each illegally placed sign, the lost time and money from designing, posting, and having signs removed by the Transportation Commission, and finally, political attacks from your opponent telling voters that they shouldn't trust a candidate to make laws that can't follow some of the simplest among them.
It just makes sense for political campaigns to the follow the state and local lawn sign regulations. To ensure that your campaign isn't inadvertently breaking the law, it's important to train the candidate, staff, and supporters who receive yard signs so that they understand and follow electoin sign laws.
Virginia Political Sign Laws
The Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner is responsible for enforcing the provisions of Va. Code Ann. § 33.1-373, which prohibits all forms of outdoor signage along the state's right of way with exceptions for signs in emergency situations and the Commission's own traffic signs.
Virginia Code Ann. § 33.1-373 (2005) assesses a $100 penalty for any election sign within the state's right of way. The code points out that signs cannot be affixed to any of the following in the right of way:
* Rock or stone
* Tree or stump
* Fence
* Pole
* Mile-board or milestone
* Danger-sign, guide-sign, guidepost, highway sign
* Historical marker
* Building
* Any other object within the state's right of way
If an overzealous supporter staples signs to telephone polls one afternoon, the campaign could face thousands of dollars in fines.
If you have any questions about the outdoor signage law or notice an illegally placed sign, call the Virginia Transportation Commission at 703-383-8368, TTY 711.
Campaign Yard Signs at Polling Places
Poltical campaigns can post signs outside of polling places during the times that polls are open and ballots are being counted. According to Virginia Code Ann. § 24.2-604 (Supp. 2007), campaign yard signs must be forty feet from the entrance of the polling place.
Forty feet might sound like a lot but for common polling place locations like schools, fire halls, and churches the entrance is usually more than forty feet from the poll and a good location for signs since every voter will see them while driving at a slow speed.
Fairfax County Sign Laws
Article 12 of the Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance sets restrictions on the shape, size, and placment of campaign signs. If you have any questions about the county ordinance, it's best to contact them directly. Call the Department of Code Compliance at 703-324-1300, TTY 711. The Fairfax County zoning ordinance is also online at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/zoningordinance.
Conclusion
Virginia's yard signs laws are easily understand and simple to follow. By following candidate sign law, your campaign will:
* Avoid lost time designing, distributing, and posting signs illegally
* Prevent political attacks from the other candidate
* Avoid any fines that would have been assessed for illegally placed signs
On the other hand, knowing the state and local yard sign laws means that you can hold your opponent accountable to the same high standard that you hold your own campaign. If you notice that your opponent has illegally posted a campaign sign, document it.
Take a picture of the violation and send it to the local news reporter, post it on the campaign blog, and consider other ways to communicating this activity to voters in addition to contacting the Transportation Commission. Then, let voters decide if they can trust a candidate to make laws who violates them to gain an unfair advantage in the campaign.
It just makes sense for political campaigns to the follow the state and local lawn sign regulations. To ensure that your campaign isn't inadvertently breaking the law, it's important to train the candidate, staff, and supporters who receive yard signs so that they understand and follow electoin sign laws.
Virginia Political Sign Laws
The Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner is responsible for enforcing the provisions of Va. Code Ann. § 33.1-373, which prohibits all forms of outdoor signage along the state's right of way with exceptions for signs in emergency situations and the Commission's own traffic signs.
Virginia Code Ann. § 33.1-373 (2005) assesses a $100 penalty for any election sign within the state's right of way. The code points out that signs cannot be affixed to any of the following in the right of way:
* Rock or stone
* Tree or stump
* Fence
* Pole
* Mile-board or milestone
* Danger-sign, guide-sign, guidepost, highway sign
* Historical marker
* Building
* Any other object within the state's right of way
If an overzealous supporter staples signs to telephone polls one afternoon, the campaign could face thousands of dollars in fines.
If you have any questions about the outdoor signage law or notice an illegally placed sign, call the Virginia Transportation Commission at 703-383-8368, TTY 711.
Campaign Yard Signs at Polling Places
Poltical campaigns can post signs outside of polling places during the times that polls are open and ballots are being counted. According to Virginia Code Ann. § 24.2-604 (Supp. 2007), campaign yard signs must be forty feet from the entrance of the polling place.
Forty feet might sound like a lot but for common polling place locations like schools, fire halls, and churches the entrance is usually more than forty feet from the poll and a good location for signs since every voter will see them while driving at a slow speed.
Fairfax County Sign Laws
Article 12 of the Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance sets restrictions on the shape, size, and placment of campaign signs. If you have any questions about the county ordinance, it's best to contact them directly. Call the Department of Code Compliance at 703-324-1300, TTY 711. The Fairfax County zoning ordinance is also online at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/zoningordinance.
Conclusion
Virginia's yard signs laws are easily understand and simple to follow. By following candidate sign law, your campaign will:
* Avoid lost time designing, distributing, and posting signs illegally
* Prevent political attacks from the other candidate
* Avoid any fines that would have been assessed for illegally placed signs
On the other hand, knowing the state and local yard sign laws means that you can hold your opponent accountable to the same high standard that you hold your own campaign. If you notice that your opponent has illegally posted a campaign sign, document it.
Take a picture of the violation and send it to the local news reporter, post it on the campaign blog, and consider other ways to communicating this activity to voters in addition to contacting the Transportation Commission. Then, let voters decide if they can trust a candidate to make laws who violates them to gain an unfair advantage in the campaign.
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