OUR OPINION
Reason should govern campaign signs
THE ISSUE
Some political campaign placards have yet to be taken down.
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NEARLY two weeks after the general election, signs of the political season still spot some neighborhoods, but most have been removed.
Remnants should be taken down in quick order by candidates to avoid visual pollution and contentious legislation and court battles that might ensue.
Hawaii should be able to resolve the matter of campaign placards through reasonable means rather than regulation.
As the Star-Bulletin's Kokua Line noted last week there is no law restricting candidate signs on private property. The state Legislature repealed one law that set limits after a 1996 opinion by the state attorney general stated it was unconstitutional. Subsequent attempts to pass a measure that would not conflict with free speech rights failed.
The Outdoor Circle -- a community group that has worked admirably to keep the state free of ugly billboards and intrusive signs, and that has led the problematic effort to place constraints on campaign signs -- instead asked candidates to post banners within sensible limits.
Though the voluntary restrictions have generally worked, there are always a few who violate the cooperative spirit. However, if citizens choose to leave signs on their fences or in their yards, and as long as other laws aren't being violated, they are free to do so.
Public pressure on the candidates whose names are displayed would work just as well as yet another government decree that takes time and money to enforce.
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HONOLULU STAR-BULLETIN
Mary Poole, Editorial Page Editor
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mpoole@starbulletin.com
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