Insulted by local political sign? You’ll have to put up with it
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
https://twitter.com/Northern_Viewer/status/786144897673736192
A political sign on the front lawn of a home in Thief River Falls is causing consternation among neighbors.
The sign, supporting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, says "Trump that Bitch," a reference to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Ain't free speech something?
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
“As the kind of voters that Trump is appealing to, one of the reasons that they like him is because of statements like this," Bo Wood, a political science professor at the University of North Dakota, tells WDAY. "Because he's a straight shooter and he says what they would say if they didn't feel restrained by political correctness.”
Wood says there are federal rules regulating campaign signs in lawns, though he didn't specify what they were.
The FEC has no restriction on the content of political signs other than the usual requirement that it must indicate in the fine print who paid for it.
Cities can regulate political lawn signs, but they cannot mandate content-based restrictions under the First Amendment. And under Minnesota law, local ordinances on signs cannot be enforced between June 24 and November 18, when the signs have to come down.
Thirty-eight days to go.
Related: Cases of Political Sign Vandalism, Theft Rising (KAAL)