You probably won’t see any signs like this at polling places in McHenry County because the opposition to the tax hike referendum aren’t organized.
Some governmental entities like the Crystal Lake Park District have rules against posting political signs on Park District property.
That’s reasonable, except on election day.
I remember one hotly contested election during which I put signs in from of my polling place, the Crystal Lake Park District’s Main Beach House.
Park District employees took them down, telling me about the then-new ordinance.
Attorney Rich Jackson went to court and got an injunction preventing enforcement of the ordinance that day.
Now, I learn that a State law (10 ILCS 5/7-41) (from Chapter 46, par. 7-41, reproduced here) has been passed declaring “the area on polling place property beyond the campaign free zone (100 feet from the door of the polling room), whether publicly or privately owned, is a public fourm for the time that the polls are open on election day.”
The statute goes on to say,
“A person shall have the right to congregate and engage in electioneering on any polling place prope3rty while the polls are open beyond the campaign free zone, included but not limited to, the placement of temporary signs. This subsection shall be construed liberally in favor of persons engaging in electioneering…”
God Bless Us All On Election Day!!!
At the last event I attended, I overheard two individuals talking about a sign removed from a polling place in Oakwood Hills.
I believe a ticket was issued to a Nunda candidate for violating Oakwood Hills own sign ordinance on Feb. 26th, the date of the Primary Election.
The police officer who wrote the ticket claimed that they did not need to follow the State statute and it was the decision of each municipality independently to decide if they wanted to follow the statute.
The two people went on to talk about the candidate, who had legal representation, was armed with this very State statute and testimony from his campaign that the sign was indeed over 150 ft. from the polling place door.
From what it sounded, the case against the candidate was dropped. The good news is that maybe the great people of Oakwood Hills learned from this.
Hopefully other municipalities as well.
Safe travels to your respected polling place, vote for the good of your families and your tax paying neighbors, and God Bless us All.