This week, we got a call at the office from a woman who was told that she could not stick a political sign on her front yard. Then, we got another one. Then another. And then one more--all from different parts of the state. What was happening?
Apparently, a number of cities and towns recently enacted ordinances that restrict the placement of political signs (even in your own yard) to the month around election day. The U.S. Supreme Court reviewed an very similar ordinance in a case called City of Ladue v. Gilleo back in 1994, holding that it violated the First Amendment. We think they would say the same thing about the Maine ordinances, so ACLU of Maine Public Policy Counsel Alysia Melnick asked the towns today to stop enforcing them and to take immediate steps to repeal them. So far, they've all agreed to stop enforcement.
You can read more about it here.
