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With the election less than two weeks away, you may have noticed an abundance of political campaign signs popping up on lawns across the country. Sometimes, these signs can be a point of contention between neighbors. In extreme cases, they lead to theft, vandalism and trespassing.

After having her campaign signs for presidential candidate Kamala Harris stolen multiple times, a Springfield, Missouri woman decided to take matters into her own hands and find out what was happening to them. She placed an Apple AirTag in her latest sign, and after it was stolen, the tracker led her to a trunk full of them. 

Laura McCaskill posted a video of the confrontation on Facebook. Once the alleged thief opened his trunk, he revealed close to 60 signs taken from nearby neighborhoods.

“I’m sorry, this is funny. Why don’t you just take them all?” the alleged thief’s mom said in the video as she threw the signs on the ground. “Here you go, liberals.”

“It’s a felony, ma’am,” McCaskill responded. 

According to Missouri law, “stealing or willfully defacing, mutilating, or destroying any campaign yard sign on private property,” is considered a class four election offense. These offenses are deemed misdemeanors and could carry a fine of up to $2,500 and/or up to a year in prison. 

McCaskill decided to press charges and an investigation is ongoing, according to a follow-up Facebook post on Oct. 23. 

Here’s what to know about stealing political yard signs.

Why is it illegal?

Expression of political beliefs is protected under the First Amendment. This includes posting signs in yards and windows on private property. In 1994, the Supreme Court reversed a local ordinance in Ladue, Missouri that prevented residents from publicly displaying signs with political messages. 

Entering private property to steal, damage or otherwise destroy a sign also involves further criminal implications. 

What are the penalties?

Each state has its own laws and penalties surrounding theft and vandalism, but most states consider tampering with a political sign to be a misdemeanor. 

According to the Cornell Law School, a misdemeanor is typically punishable by up to 12 months in jail. Other penalties include fines, community service and imprisonment for less than a year. 

Also depending on each state, this crime can become a felony when the value of the damaged or stolen property exceeds a certain amount. In Missouri, it becomes a class D felony when the property value exceeds $750.

If your yard sign was stolen, what should you do?

If a yard sign is stolen, it is recommended to reach out to the local police department’s non-emergency line to report the incident. To help the investigation, consider installing an outdoor or doorbell security camera to aid in identifying the people and vehicles involved.

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When the election ends, how should you dispose of lawn signs?

Judith Enck, founder of Beyond Plastics in Bennington, Vermont, told TODAY that almost 90% of political signs are made with corrugated cardboard coated in plastic. Because of the various materials, including plastic, campaign signs are almost impossible to recycle. It is not recommended that you throw them in your regular recycling bin; however, some municipalities will now host special election sign collection days in order to recycle them properly.

If your town does not offer recycling opportunities, consider saving signs until the next election cycle. Add a plastic or paper cover to reuse them or paint a new message on top. 

Some campaigns may reuse campaign signs in the future. Reach out to the campaign office that issued the sign to see if they will repurpose or recycle them.