The political season is underway and I discovered an annoying side of that this afternoon.
Our news room looks out over our front lawn and as prepared to sit down at my computer and work on this week’s paper I noticed something I didn’t see earlier today.
It was election placard on our yard.
Not on the border with the neighbor’s property – not by a long shot.
Nope, it was situated where people driving by on FM 2668 couldn’t miss it – and draw a hugely wrong idea on who we’re supporting.
For decades, as long as I’ve been a journalist, I have refused to allow election placards on my property.
The reason is simple – a journalist reporting on an election does not include signs that support a candidate or an election position, such as advocating a position that may be on a ballot.
That could include a school bond issue that I agree with, for example, but I don’t show favoritism on any election issue or person.
Over the years, I’ve turned down countless friends running for election, as long as I’m covering the races.
And an important point to that note is the fact that my friends or acquaintances have at least asked, but not the candidate or representatives, of that campaign bothered to get permission.
Boy, that’s heavy lifting when it comes to making assumptions that miss by a mile.
That makes me wonder if that candidate is tapping signs into the yards or properties of other people without asking permission.
Perhaps people are doing that on their own to help a pal – or they’re getting paid to spread the candidate’s name with the hopeful’s OK.
Either way, it’s wrong.
And, best that I can determine from the jungle of election laws out there, it’s also illegal.
And we can and will remove it.
This hasn’t come up before in my long years of elections.
It boggles the mind to think how anyone would think is all right.
But more than that, this is an election sign for someone running for office that makes laws for others to follow.
Yet, they break the law to place a sign promoting someone who wants to make other laws.
So, if you happen to notice the sign, it wasn’t approved.
Moving on to other election news, and probably connected to the unwanted election sign in my yard, early voting begins Tuesday, Feb. 20, for the March 5 party primaries.
We have the early voting places and the Democratic and Republican candidates in this week’s paper.
