Tim McCormick
We’re in full political season, and that means it’s sign time! Political signs are popping up, and they will remain up until right after the primary election on March 5, regardless of whether you are Republican or Democrat. Technically, you could have put up political yard signs as of Dec. 5 but, thankfully, it looks like everyone allowed their neighbors to enjoy the holiday season and the traditional lights and decorations. We do live in a wonderful community.
The Republican Club will be providing a service to our members and non-members alike in that we will be accepting signs from candidates (there are 11 running in just one race) of the over 20 Republican primary races and making them available to people who come to the clubhouse.
We will be manning tables at the clubhouse on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 to 11 a.m. We are requesting a donation of $10 for your first sign if you are not a member of the Republican Club, or you can join the club and pay your dues of $10, which will last through May of 2024, and get the signs for free. One of the benefits of joining the Republican Club, among many others, is that you will receive our emails and newsletters, which will provide you with more timely information on things party-related, as well as when we are hosting candidate Q&As, educational events, and, of course, social events!
A couple of reminders for everyone regarding political signs and the primaries. First, in Texas you do not register as a Republican, Democrat, Green Party, Socialist, or anything else. You simply register to vote. In Texas we believe in our independence and like to be able to adjust our stance without having to register it with the government! So, if you normally vote Democrat and decide you want to vote in the Republican primary, you are free to do so. There is only one very significant restriction: You may only vote in either the Republican or Democrat primary—not both. The other parties do not currently hold primaries.
Regarding political signs: You may put signs up for any candidate you would like, but you may only put up one sign per candidate in your yard, and that includes both your front and back yards. So, if you happen to live on a golf course lot and feel you will best support your candidate by advertising to the golfers in your backyard, then you may not place a sign for the same candidate in your front yard, or vice versa.
Although you can put a sign up for every political race, you probably won’t want to, because more than 20 signs in your yard will be an eyesore, and I suspect even your most generous neighbors would be assessing whether you are within the ALC guidelines. And don’t worry, the ALC restrictions on political signs are fully within Texas and federal established law concerning political free speech.
Happy political season!