Election Season Signs

GRANTS, N.M.- Political signs are a common sight around election time as candidates campaign and the people show their support. This is a representation of every American citizen’s right to free speech and self-expression. However, there have been reports of a local Cibola County candidate having their signs stolen from private property. Regardless of political views, the act of stealing or vandalizing a person’s legally posted sign is not only against the law, but an attack on the freedom that all Americans have a right to. According to Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace, political signs are the same as any other property as far as the law is concerned. Mace stated, “Just like any other personal property, those are property of somebody else, and when individuals feel the need to take or vandalize them, at the very least you have a misdemeanor vandalism or misdemeanor theft.” He followed up by saying that they are criminal damage to property and larceny misdemeanors specifically. This can go up to felony charges depending on the value of the property. If a person's legally placed sign is missing or vandalized, they can report it to the law enforcement agency whose jurisdiction it is in. According to the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website, specific rules for length of time a sign can be displayed after an election and the size of the signs is decided by the rules of the county it is in. According to the Cibola County Clerk Michelle Dominguez, there are currently no rules for political signs on private property in Cibola County. However, New Mexico Criminal and Traffic Law does prohibit the placement of political signs on a state-maintained road's right-of-way. If a sign has been illegally placed there, the New Mexico Department of Transportation may be contacted to have it removed.