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Dickenson County board approves resolution setting rules for campaign signs at county voting sites
Summary
The Dickenson County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution that defines when and where campaign signs may be placed on county property for early voting, election day and special events, and authorized county staff to remove noncompliant signs; board members debated whether an ordinance with fines would be more enforceable.
The Dickenson County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution setting limits and timing for campaign signs on county property used for voting and special events and authorized county staff to remove signs that do not comply.
The resolution, discussed and amended during the meeting, establishes that during early voting a maximum of two campaign signs per candidate, not to exceed 18 inches by 24 inches, may be placed along Happy Valley Drive in front of the Dickenson Center for Education and Research (DCR) and must be removed no later than midnight on the last day of early voting. The board added language clarifying that signs for early voting may be placed beginning at 4:30 p.m. on the day preceding the start of early voting. The resolution also clarifies that there is no limit on number or size of campaign signs on the property on election day; those signs may be placed beginning at 4:30 p.m. on the day preceding election day and must be removed by midnight on election day. Special-event and room-rental signage follows the same two-sign-per-candidate limit and must be removed immediately following the event.
Board members debated enforcement. Some members urged conversion of the rules into an ordinance with civil penalties so there would be a deterrent; others favored the resolution because an ordinance would require a public hearing and delay implementation. The resolution as adopted directs county staff to remove and dispose of noncompliant signs placed on county property.
Why it matters: the rules govern signage at the county's primary voting location and were adopted while early voting was already underway, so the board clarified placement timing to limit signs appearing months in advance and to set staff authority for removal.
Supporting details: the draft resolution groups county informational signs (permitted at any time) separately from three campaign-related categories: early voting, election day and special events. The draft sets the standard sign size for early voting at 18-by-24 inches, limits early-voting signs to two per candidate along the specified frontage, and uses 4:30 p.m. on the day before voting as the earliest placement time for candidate signage in both early voting and election-day categories. County staff will remove and dispose of signs that do not comply.
Board direction and next steps: the board adopted the resolution and approved the amendment adding the 4:30 p.m. placement time for early voting. Several members asked staff to monitor compliance and report recurring problems back to the board; one member said an ordinance with enforceable penalties could be considered later if removal-by-staff proves insufficient.
Provenance: the resolution text and the subsequent debate appear in the meeting transcript beginning with the board's introduction of a "resolution to the signs on the property" and concluding with the board vote to adopt the resolution and amendment.
