October 9, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
Democrats and Republicans don’t agree on much but when it comes to the theft of political signs they are on the same page. It must be stopped.
Both parties have recently been victims of theft or vandalism of political signs.
Each of the local party leaders has spoken out about the concern.
“Every single one of the large signs we put up in DeKalb County has been vandalized in less than a week,” said Jonathan Bradley, Chairman of the DeKalb County Democratic Party.
“It is unfortunate that some folks have decided that theft and vandalism are their response to other people’s free speech. I believe that most of the members of our community are willing to freely discuss ideas, and that only a small, misguided minority are responsible for these acts. If their goal was to intimidate or silence us, they have failed,” said Bradley.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had a number of our signs stolen or vandalized this year, many just in the last few days,” said Ryan Mollinet, Chairman of the DeKalb County Republican Party. “It’s one thing to show support for your candidate, but it’s never acceptable to destroy or steal an opponent’s sign. We encourage anyone who witnesses theft or vandalism of campaign signs to report it immediately to the local Police or Sherriff’s Office. It’s wrong, and illegal.”
Any information regarding the removal and destruction of candidates’ signs, should be reported to the Smithville Police Department, Alexandria Police Department, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, or the Tennessee Highway Patrol office.