In Maine, Can You Get in Trouble for Defacing a Political Sign?

I literally hate everything about politics.

I understand it's a necessary evil in this country, and I won't jump on a soapbox about it. It is what it is. Truthfully though, I typically describe myself as a political atheist, so to speak. So when it comes to something like political signs that pop up every time there's an election, I try to just look straight forward and ignore them.

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But I know some folks are absolutely driven wild by seeing political signs from whatever party that oppose. Whether they're triggered by the candidate, or the issue du jour, or whatever... Some folks just want to perform what they feel would be social justice. So, what happens if you do decide to draw a moustache and a blacked out tooth on the sign of your opposing candidate? Well, that depends.

It depends on where that sign is.

Here's the thing... You can ask pretty much any campaign for a sign and plop it right down in your yard. Even the opposing party, if that's your jam. At that point, it's yours. You can do whatever you want with it. If you want to draw a smiley face over someone, or draw evil eyebrows on them, that's your business.

However, if that same ire that's been building up inside you leads you to a place where you think it's a good idea to alter a sign that's sitting in a public place, like in a median in an intersection on a public road, pump the brakes. That's where state law becomes very clear on the matter. You can absolutely be held accountable for damage to that sign.

What kind of trouble can you get in?

If you decide to unleash your petty fury on a poor, unsuspecting roadside political sign and you're caught, you could face a fine up to $250. that's not exactly chump change. I also imagine if you were caught defacing multiple signs, that you could be fined for each one individually, not just one fine for all of them. So if you go nuts, you'd better have deep pockets to fund your shenanigans.

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So really, if it's that important to you, simply request some signage from the opposing party to be delivered to your house, and then have at it! No matter how mad you are at some political message, it can't be worth $250 a whack. Or, you could just realize you're getting worked up about something you basically have no control over. The choice is yours...

Since you're already mad about politics, gawk at these home prices for a minute...