Arizona Representative John Allen (R-Scottsdale) has introduced HB 2002, to make it a misdemeanor for anyone to remove or deface a campaign sign between the period 45 days before a primary, and ending a week after the general election. The bill, of course, permits a candidate or his or her representative to remove his or her own sign. Here is a link to the text of the bill. This seems to be the only election law bill introduced so far in the Arizona legislature.
Good bill. It should be a felony – not a misdemeanor.
Nothing perturbs me more than to hear of or see where someone has destroyed a political sign. Probably, in most instances, the person doing the destroying the sign is an opponent of the candidate or on the opposite side of an issue.
This is nothing more than a suppression of free speech. There are among us those who would oppose the right to express free opinions. However, what I fear more than anything else, is when our government becomes dominated by those who hold a particular view on issues, and feels that in the interest of “public safety,” or better yet “domestic tranquility,” it is best to have only ONE view of an issue and that is the ONE held by those in power.
God helps us when it comes to this.