Yard signs, a staple of all political campaigns, are being taken down in some neighborhoods about as fast as both homeowners and candidates are putting them up. According to several local and state campaign reps, dozens of campaign signs have come up missing, especially on the Illinois side of the river. Campaign reps said signs are being both taken and defaced.
One Rock Island woman said hers has been taken twice and she's not going to put up with anymore.
"It made me mad, it made me downright angry," Sally Elliott said.
Elliott said her Bobby Schilling sign was stolen about two weeks ago. She said she got an even bigger one to replace it, and it was stolen just a week later.
"I know that's the way campaigns are, I know signs are stolen, but what happened to our freedom of speech, it's just gone."
Elliot said people stealing her signs only make her want to put up more.
"I will, I'll get a bigger one," she said.
It's not just Elliott that's frustrated with these "sign bandits", candidates from both parties said they've had enough.
"I've had some signs disappear in the past, but nothing like this," Illinois Representative Pat Verschoore said.
Verschoore said this his sixth race and he has never seen sign stealing so bad. He said he has already had to replace two dozens signs.
"I had a four by eight sign that someone put an X through. That sign is $100 it's not cheap. I don't know who is taking them, but I think it is quite high school or juvenile or whatever you want to call it." Tony Holland agrees.
He is the republican candidate for Rock Island County Recorder and he too, has had to replace 25 signs.
"It's frustrating because you know how much it costs to have those signs made and how difficult it is to get the funds to print signs," he said.
Both Holland and Verschoore said they will replace the signs until they run out, but after that it is what it is.
"It's not worth replacing the signs if they continue to get stolen, that's not me quitting by any means, just have to switch tactics up because I'm not going to continue to waste my donors money on signs that are just getting stolen."
Many of the local campaign reps we talked with said they don't know why the signs are being taken. They said they believe it could be a combination of people just doing it because they can and the fact there are so many highly competitive races this year.
Meanwhile, police said if you are caught stealing a sign you could be charged with a misdemeanor or criminal damage to property.
