Tired of her Kamala Harris signs disappearing from her Springfield, Missouri yard, Laura McCaskill attached a tracking device to one to see where it might end up.

That led her to a blue Kia sedan in a nearby town, where a young man admitted to stealing her sign, along with dozens of other people, according to a video shot by McCaskill. “Um, yeah, so if you want them back, they’re right there,” he said as he stood next to a trunk full of Harris signs.

As the Nov. 5 election between Harris and Republican Donald Trump approaches, people across the U.S. are reporting a rash of yard sign thefts — and turning to a range of remedies to stop them, from surveillance cameras and GPS trackers to low-tech. solutions such as glitter and hot pepper to deter would-be thieves.

“The game of signs has changed. You can’t steal and get away with it anymore because guys like us take it pretty seriously,” said Vincent Panico, the Republican vice mayor of Readington, New Jersey, who used an Apple AirTag to track down a missing yard sign before the mayor. elections from the beginning of this year.

Police found it in the garage of Town Committeeman John Albanese, a fellow Republican who had fallen out with Panico in a power struggle within the party. Albanese pleaded not guilty.

His attorney, Scott Wilhelm, said he is being targeted by Panico and other local rivals.

“They’re doing everything they can to try to get him off the board,” Wilhelm said.

Campaign signs have been an integral part of the US political landscape since the 19th century, but studies suggest they may not do much to boost the fortunes of the candidates they promote. “Yard signs don’t vote” is a common mantra among political operatives.

However, they are clearly a hit with voters. About 1 in 10 Americans display courtship signs for a presidential candidate, according to Florida International University professor Todd Makse, who found that those displaying them are primarily interested in showing their political allegiance rather than to sway their indecisive neighbors.

Clearly, some don’t appreciate the display.

‘YOU ARE STUPID’

Indianapolis tech worker Lissa Smith said the Harris sign was stolen from her yard the night she put it up this summer. In its place was a white pillow that read “YOU’RE STUPID.”

Smith said she ordered four more campaign signs and posted a warning that any additional theft would cause her to donate money to more left-wing groups. Since then, she has donated $180 and spent nearly $300 on security cameras. She said she was encouraged that some of her neighbors in her mixed political neighborhood asked where they could get their own Harris signs.

“It made me more confident in sharing my opinions,” she said.

Matthew Hurtt, chairman of the Republican Party in Arlington, Va., said he has received more than 100 complaints about Trump sign theft in his heavily Democratic district. He posted photos and videos of the suspects online.

“It raises awareness that there are Republicans in Northern Virginia and it raises awareness of the intolerance of our neighbors,” he said.

Courtship signs can serve as a flashpoint in an era of heightened political tension. A Topeka, Kansas man was convicted of aggravated assault last year for shooting teenagers he suspected of stealing Trump signs ahead of the 2020 election, and in Michigan, an avowed Trump hater punched a man aged replacing vandalized Trump signs.

Prosecuting sign thieves can be difficult, officials say, given the low dollar value of the stolen item and the difficulty in identifying suspects who typically strike at night.

In some cases, the damage can be substantial — at $20 apiece, the 60 Harris signs found in the trunk of the Missouri car would cost $1,200 to replace.

But the harm extends beyond the value of a sign, victims say, with some claiming it violates their right to free speech and can amount to political intimidation.

“You’re disrespecting people’s property, you’re silencing their opinion,” said McCaskill, the Missouri resident who filed a criminal complaint against the young man who admitted taking her sign. He said he was inspired by a TikTok video.

Police say they are investigating the incident, and the young man’s mother did not respond to requests for comment.

Those who are arrested face serious penalties. Michael Shaw, 54, of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, faces up to 12 years in prison and $55,000 in fines after he was arrested for stealing signs and flags in what police said were 11 separate incidents. He did not return a call seeking comment.

In New Jersey, Panico’s troubles did not end with the arrest of his rival. The Republican signs disappeared again, though surveillance cameras caught another suspect — a school bus driver. Panico says he plans to speak with the man’s employer.

“It’s not great when you pull up in a pretty recognizable vehicle,” he said.