World Photo by Jack Carrerow Campaign signs have been stomped, torn out of the ground and vandalized throughout the South Coast. Here are some of the survivors in Reedsport near U.S. Highway 101.

If it’s an election season, that means lawn signs. And if there are lawn signs, there are going to be lawn sign shenanigans.

No candidate’s signs are immune. Whether they are Republican or Democrat, a local resident running for city council or United States senator gunning for the highest office in the land.

They get trampled, pulled up, run over, defaced or simply taken away.

Matt Christensen, chairman of Coos County’s Democratic Central Committee, had his signs torn out of the ground last Saturday. He had between six and eight lawn signs in his Coos Bay front yard and hedges that were pulled out of the ground. But it was not an isolated incident.

Farther down the street, he noticed that more signs had been ripped up, some touting Republican Al Pearn and others plugging Democrat Joanne Verger.

“It was pretty indiscriminate,” he said.

Working at the party’s headquarters in Pony Village Mall, he has heard of others coming in for more lawn signs because theirs have disappeared.

“It’s nothing new,” he said. “It happens every election cycle.”

Sheriff Andy Jackson, who is chairman of Coos County’s Republican Central Committee, characterized it as an election-time routine.

“It’s maybe a little worse since it’s a major election,” he said.

Coos Bay Police Department spokeswoman Helen Thompson said she wasn’t aware of any reports of damaged or stolen signs. If there are, people should call them in, she said.

“If people are taking their lawn signs, that certainly is theft,” she said.

She also said it was important that people who put up lawn signs get permission from property owners before sticking advertisements in the ground.

Private ground.

The Oregon Department of Transportation doesn’t allow them.

If a sign extends beyond a highway’s fog line, creating a safety hazard, crews will remove it on sight, said ODOT spokesman Jared Castle.

ODOT crews also will remove lawn signs in its right-of-ways, but only when crews are doing routine maintenance, Castle said.

“We don’t have teams picking up signs,” he said.

Neither Jackson nor Christensen said they think the vandalism is politically motivated. Both suggested it’s youthful antics rather than partisan rancor that has led to the problems.

Christensen recommended people put their signs a little farther away from the roadway so it isn’t as inviting a target to mischief makers.

“Bury it deep,” he said, somewhat tongue in cheek.

Vandalism doesn’t seem to be limited to lawn signs, either.

Karen Jones, a Reedsport resident and delegate to the Democratic National Convention, recalled a visit to the Wal-Mart in Coos Bay.

“Someone took a marker and defaced our Obama bumper sticker while we were in the store,” she said. “I’m just glad we didn’t get our car keyed.”

— Reedsport Staff Writer Jack Carrerow contributed to this report