MANCHESTER and GOFFSTOWN, NH – One could call it a “sign” of the times.
With partisan tensions flaring throughout the country, things as small as political signs have become flashpoints of division and anger and those planted on partisan turf in the Greater Manchester area are no exception.
One such example can be found at the corner of Route 114 and Mast Road in Goffstown where a sign posted by supporters of Donald Trump was destroyed, restored and then destroyed again. However, the second time around the sign came back with a new addition: another sign attacking the people who damaged the sign.
While there’s now a camera that is intended to deter future damage, local Trump activist John Caira believes this sort of behavior comes from the “keyboard warrior” mentality that arises when people argue with others online without fear of consequences and the influence of the national media.
“Whether it’s sports or something else, they’re always dividing people. I don’t watch anymore; I didn’t realize how much time I was wasting,” said Caira. “It’s going to take time to fix all this division and anger, to clean up all the corruption. Now you can take a rumor and make it headline news.”
Manchester resident Elizabeth Ropp has also had her Harris signs vandalized. The first time the sign was knocked down when it was close to the street, and then someone placed a bag of dog feces next to the sign. She remains unsure if it was someone who disliked her sign or someone just trying to play a prank, but the act was unnerving.
“It’s a little bag of dog poop, but why does someone feel entitled to enter my yard?” she said.
Like Caira, Ropp also believes that the national media is to blame with stoking the division within America, but feels that the media’s focus on Trump is the key driver of the division.
“Look at who Kamala Harris’ opponent is. He’s someone who promotes violence. He encouraged his supporters to attack the Capitol and attack law enforcement and attack members of Congress. He wanted to kill his vice president,” she said.
Ropp’s friend and fellow Manchester resident Pam Eliason also has had to deal with issues related to her Harris-Walz sign. Eliason says that she placed a sign near her curb next to shrubs and a stop sign and that sign was stolen. She has no proof that a Trump supporter took her sign, but she has her suspicions.
“It feels like (it was taken) by someone who just didn’t want to see a Harris sign out. When I drive around town, I see a bazillion Trump signs and a handful of Harris signs,” said Eliason. “People walk by, people drive by all the time, they’re angry because someone’s not driving the right way, I don’t know. I don’t have a theory.”
She added, “I wish I could understand why people feel comfortable living inside that anger instead of finding solutions,” she added. “It feels like it’s been normalized, it’s been given the thumbs-up to behave badly. That’s what I feels like to me. I don’t know why it is like that; I struggle to understand it.”
Rob Greene, another Manchester resident, says he’s had multiple Harris signs stolen. While he feels frustrated, he also feels defiant – not putting up more signs would be like an admission of defeat to the vandals. That, and he realizes he’s not alone.
“I think part of it comes from divisiveness, but I think part of it comes from people think they’re Bugs Bunny to my Elmer Fudd, they’re getting a kick out of it, it’s an easy win,” he said. “I think there are fewer signs up this time around because things are kind of rancorous this year. You’re not seeing as many Trump or Harris signs because people are afraid of something happening to their house.”
New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan reminds New Hampshire residents that signs can be on private property with the permission of property owners and can be placed on public rights-of-way. He also notes that there is a $2,500 fine for anyone that removes a sign unless they are a property owner, campaign-authorized representative, or public employee after the election concludes if the sign is placed on a right-of-way. Still, he’s getting reports of people’s signs under attack across the state.
That’s one part of the election process and campaigning that you can count on in every election that there will be sign wars and vandalism of campaign messaging. It’s unfortunate, but it’s just a fact of life,” he says. “It’s about the same this year as in previous years, but whenever there are major campaigns with passion on both sides, it’s going to be reflected in the number of signs vandalized.”
Anyone in New Hampshire who believes their sign has been damaged or stolen can call the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office Election Division for more information by calling (603) 271-3658 or emailing electionlaw@doj.nh.gov