By Nate Jones

Staff Writer

Right now political junkies can plaster their cars with bumper stickers, wear campaign pins and pass out flyers at their local post office to promote their candidate of choice, but they still have a few weeks to wait until they can line Route One with the ever popular double-sided signs featuring their politicians' last name. Although it can look like there is no rhyme or reason to where these signs can pop up, this is the time of year that Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) Right of Way Maintenance Control Supervisor Robert Sinclair likes to remind those running for office and their constituents the “dos and don’ts” when posting the signs. 

“The Secretary of State has a nice letter outlining [the rules],” he said. “Whether or not everybody reads it and comprehends it, I don’t know.”

 Sinclair said per the MDOT regulations, no political signs can be posted in a public way more than six weeks prior to any referendum – making Sept. 23 the earliest date this year – and the signs must be removed within seven days after the referendum. He said some municipalities have more stringent rules about political signs and supersede the state law, some even impose a fee for those wishing to tout their name around town, he said. 

“This of course is only for public ways, on private property it’s freedom of speech,” he said. 

Code Enforcement Officers in Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough and South Portland said each municipality has its own political sign law on the books, but none are more restrictive than those imposed by the state. 

While there are no limits to how many signs you can fit on your front lawn, Sinclair said signs are prohibited on the Maine Turnpike system, including a 660-foot area buffer around all on and off ramps to avoid distracting drivers.

“One year we had a few signs that were painted up like stop signs that said ‘Stop here and vote,’” he said. “They can be very distracting, and some people do stop until they realize what it really is.”

The MDOT isn’t the only government agency that monitors how politicians reach out to voters; U.S. Postal Service Public Affairs Officer Tom Rizzo said every political flyer sent through the mail system to be post stamped just like any other piece of mail. He said typically violators are simply unaware of the law and while there are fines for tampering with the mail system, instances of unstamped mail finding its way into mailboxes are usually handled informally. 

“The postal service doesn’t look to make criminals out of anybody,” he said. “The only reason it’s important is so that the boxes don’t get so full as to interrupt the mail service itself.”

Rizzo did say in the instance of a large number of flyers finding their way into mailboxes a letter would be sent advising the politician of the violation, hopefully encouraging them to more closely advise their campaign volunteers. Such a letter will most likely be send to Kevin Glynn, former South Portland City Councilor currently running for his fifth term representing District 27 in the Maine Legislature, who admitted one of his campaign volunteers could have placed flyers in South Portland mailboxes last month, Rizzo said.

“We distributed a large amount of literature for my campaign,” Glynn said. “Folks were instructed to not put flyers in mailboxes, but I’ll take responsibility. It’s a volunteer effort; I won’t offer any excuses.”

Glynn said he had not received a letter from the postal service as of press time Tuesday.