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    Electioneering and Signs

    Electioneering

    • At all polling locations (election day and early voting) no electioneering is allowed within 50 feet of the polling site entry door.
    • Use of amplified sound (bull horns, microphones, etc.) is not allowed.
    • Only designated party observers, election officials, and voters in the process of voting are allowed to be within the voting enclosure.
    • If a curbside voter is parked outside the 50-foot marker, they are off-limits to campaigners as the voter's vehicle is considered a voting enclosure.
    • All persons working for candidates may not obstruct the sidewalks or entrances to the buildings. Many of the buildings used as polling locations are open for business; thus, not everyone entering the building is there to vote.

    Political Signs

    • By state law, political signs are allowed in State highway right-of-way starting 30 days before early voting begins and must be removed on the 10th day after the election.
    • Before placing signs on private property, permission must be granted by the property owner. A property owner has the right to remove and dispose of political signs placed on their property.
    • It is a misdemeanor for a person to steal, deface, vandalize, or unlawfully remove a political sign that is lawfully placed.
    • Refer to NCGS § 136-32 for the specific law.

    Sign Placement at polling locations

    • No signs are allowed within 50 feet of the polling entrance.
    • Catawba County Board mandates that only standard yard signs (approximately two feet wide and a foot and a half tall) mounted on stakes may be placed at Eary Voting sites.
      Vehicles carrying or displaying large signs are not allowed at polling locations.
    • Property owners of several polling locations have specific rules on sign placement:
      • Precinct 2 Banoak/Corinth Baptist Church – No signs allowed on property.
      • Precinct 21 Monogram/Olivet Baptist Church – No signs allowed on property.
      • Precinct 09 East Maiden Baptist Church - Signs allowed only in designated area.
      • One Stop Newton Main Library - Signs allowed only in designated areas at the two entrances to the main parking lot. Campaigners may hold signs but no signs may be erected in the parking lot.
      • One Stop Highland Recreation Center - Signs allowed between the two "Designated Sign Placement Area" signs. Campaigners may hold signs but no signs may be erected in the parking lot.
      • One Stop Sherrills Ford-Terrell Library - Signs allowed only in the designated area inside the sidewalk at the corner of Sherrills Ford Rd. and Berry Dr. below the Library sign and flagpole—keeps signs within the posted area. No signs are allowed to be placed as you turn into the library’s parking lot off Berry Dr. or in the parking area of the library. Campaigners may hold signs but no signs may be erected in the parking lot.
    • The Board of Elections does not have authority to enforce sign placement nor enforce littering laws for non-polling place locations. All inquiries should be directed to the Department of Transportation, the city or town, or the appropriate law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction over the site in question. Send comments or questions to the NC Department of Transportation. For more immediate assistance regarding DMV-related issues, call their customer service office at (919) 715-7000.

    For details, see Littering Statutes for Political Candidates in NC.

    Updated April 2021