Like it or not, new Maine law doubles season for political campaign signs

[TexasTowelie]

Love them or hate them – you’re probably going to see campaign signs go up earlier and stay up longer.

That’s because a state law change that went into effect Aug. 1 allows temporary signs to be placed in the public right of way for 12 weeks a year, twice as long as previous limits. That means Mainers may be stuck seeing campaign signs for nearly a quarter of the year.

“You can put a temporary sign in the public right of way for 12 weeks between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31, and then next year it will be 12 weeks for the calendar year,” said Toni Kemmerle, an attorney with the Maine Department of Transportation, which is charged with enforcing sign rules along state highways. Commercial business signs fall under different regulations, she said.

The law change was intended to help farmers advertise produce markets, not so much to extend the campaign season. But the side effect irks people like Debbie Donaldson, who passed by campaign signs recently planted in a grassy expanse separating the lanes on Franklin Street in Portland. The 63-year-old initially said campaign signs were generally “fine by me.” But her opinion changed when she was told about the recent law change.

Read more: https://www.journaltribune.com/articles/stateregional/like-it-or-not-new-maine-law-doubles-season-for-political-campaign-signs/