How do you protect your political yard signs?

[KK9]

Or, what's really fair in love and war .

This only seems to apply to Presidential elections, my signs for local elections stay put as few pay attention to those. Someone stole our initial Obama/Biden signs in 2008 and 2012, but I had a backup for them. Our house was close to the road back then and one neighbor told me who took them and threw them in the lake each time...I had a chat with the offender (another neighbor), put up my "backup sign" and that was it.

I just ordered my Clinton/Kaine signs. Our house now is very far from the road and we have no real neighbors. We're on a major commuting cut through, though, so plenty of people pass by.

There is a lot of poison ivy down there, I'm considering putting my sign up IN the poison ivy, rather than the grassy mowed part. That should discourage impulsive theft or defacement. Is that too mean? Or, is there any liability for me doing that? If someone wants to steal my sign, and doesn't know what poison ivy looks like, or it's dark and they don't see it, and they get a rash all over from stealing it....who is the bad guy?

[MFM008]

1. we put them in the window facing the street

inside the house.

[imanamerican63]

2. Get Trump to build a wall?

Sorry, I just had to go there!

[63splitwindow]

3. Obvious security camera (even fake, but out of reach) and one of these signs among your others...

[KK9]

6. Oh, that might work!

I already have a trail camera that I put out when I want to know what the deer, coyotes and the tree wrecking giant porcupine are doing at night.

[Whiskeytide]

31. Be careful. Your trail cam might get stolen ...

... or damaged.

In 2012, someone posted that they put a sign next to their Obama/Biden sign that said:

"Every time you steal this sign, I donate another $30 to Obama's campaign"

That seemed to work for them.

[womanofthehills]

33. you can buy a metal box you can lock to encase your trail cam

[SickOfTheOnePct]

4. I don't

Never had a problem at all

[Siwsan]

5. The messiest thing I've read is mixing vaseline with white paint and smear it on the border

It makes a mess. They might have your sign (if they don't drop it) but they also have a hard time washing off their crime.

I'm lucky because I live in a very, very heavily Democratic area so sign stealing hasn't really ever been a problem.

[KK9]

7. I'm in Massachusetts!

You'd think we'd be safe here, but there are a lot of NH commuters passing through and they aren't always on the same page.

[63splitwindow]

8. Danger there is they get stuck on your car, house, dog etc...

[Siwsan]

10. I reuse my signs for as long as they are in good shape, so I'd have to come up with something else

I re-used my Obama signs because, well, they were so damn hard to come by! And my Congressman and Senators never changes their signs, from election to election, so they are usually good for a couple of terms.

I hope Clinton/Kaine signs will be easier to come by! My former congressman, Dale Kildee, was my 'source' for my Obama signs. I can probably turn to my new congressman, his nephew, Dan, if necessary. They are old family friends.

[AwakeAtLast]

9. Deer camera

Movement makes it take a picture. You might even catch a Sasquatch!

Seriously though, I think that is easiest option, but not sure about the cost.

[Frank Cannon]

11. Tanglefoot Bird Repellent

Google it. Spread it on the edges of the sign and the stick. It works.

It's like a self-replicating superglue from hell. No one who steals your sign will ever forget you. Just remember where to grab the sign when it's time to remove it.

[tritsofme]

29. This is my favorite answer...might give it a try this fall!

[Frank Cannon]

32. I put it on my second yard sign for Obama back in 2008.

I do believe I got the idea here at DU.

No one ever messed with my third Obama sign.

That stuff is just awful. It gets EVERYWHERE, and it can't be washed off. It just goes from place to place to place. I'm pretty sure that the person who stole my Obama signs is still peeling their shorts off of the seat whenever they get out of the pickup.

[YOHABLO]

12. Yard signs have no real meaning in an election for those who are politically astute. They're trash

[trof]

21. Agree.

I don't think anyone's vote was ever changed by a yard sign.
I guess they're for people who want to let others know who they support.
Whatever.

[Statistical]

13. I put a sticker in the upper corner that says ...

"smile your being filmed". You can't really read it unless you are up close.

Nobody ever messed with the sign. I don't know if the sticker helped. Kinda hard to prove it one way or another.

[redstatebluegirl]

14. After having 5 Hillary signs stolen we put ours in the front window facing the street.

[cherokeeprogressive]

15. What political yard signs.

[etherealtruth]

16. I live in a strongly democratic area ....

the Clinton/ Sanders war truly did not happen hear

[bigwillq]

19. I live in blue CT

and from my encounters IRL, the Clinton/Sanders war was nothing like on DU or social media.
Folks I ran into would disagree on this or that, but it was nothing like mud-slinging on DU or social media. I enjoyed it on DU, but it was nothing like that IRL from my experience.

[UTUSN]

17. My bumperstickers on rear window: one Vietnam, 2nd political. They don't dare.

Seems like free speech alone should be enough, but no.

[voteearlyvoteoften]

18. We put them up 10 feet on a tree

[livetohike]

26. Same here! Works great!

[renate]

20. I haven't used this, but here's a thought:

http://www.havahart.com/spray-away-infrared-motion-activated-sprinkler-repellent

[jpak]

22. With The Holy Hand Genade of Antioch.. in Thy Mercy..

and the Lord did grin...

[Demonaut]

24. snuf it

[Demonaut]

23. nightscope and 30 odd seven<----don't really know what that is

dice?

[JHB]

25. Wildlife camera...

One of those they set up along game trails to get photos of animals passing by it.

Then add another smaller sign: If you mess with the sign, Smile, you're on Candid Camera!

[3catwoman3]

27. I love your...

...poison ivy idea -

[LWolf]

28. I don't have any.

Nobody can see my yard or driveway, so it would be pointless.

When I lived in town where people could actually see my yard, I had a perimeter fence and a dog. My signs would have been out of reach, at least for people wanting to take them instead of paintball them.

Put them in the ivy. It won't stop anybody from taking them, but at least they'll have to pay something for doing so. Cover up when planting them!

[LeftyMom]

30. 130 lbs of rescued mastiff.

New signs are probably a lot cheaper than my dog food bill though.