Political activists in our community likely view lawn signs as having a slight ability to swing an election in favor of a candidate or issue, so volunteers keep planting them.

Others view them as visual litter and pine for post-election days when by statute, win or lose, they should be taken down.

Clusters of signs are growing in public right-of-ways during this special election season in Salem and as the mid-term elections this fall grow near. 

This is not permitted, and hence, enforcement needs to ramp up.

Political lawn signs fall under Salem Revised Code 900. They're defined as temporary signs that do not require a permit and can be staked to private property only for 60 days twice annually.

This means your neighbor can put one in his or her yard, but they may not place it on the sidewalk, in a neighboring garden or on a median.

More:17 people running for Oregon governor, the most crowded field in two decades

More:Seven Republican candidates square off in Oregon gubernatorial debate

More:New digital sign turns up community commentary in Mid-Valley

On the Statesman's Facebook page, Ana Forrester is asking the city to enforce its sign codes. Legally blind, she said she's almost run into "a lot of signs blocking the walkway." She added, with a wry sense of humor, that if she did run into a campaign sign, it would definitely give her "ideas on who not to vote for."

We ask candidates and issue-organizers to remind their eager volunteers that signs cannot create a public nuisance. They may be anchored on private property, not on public lands.

They may not be attached to fences, trees, shrubs or utility poles, and they cannot impede the vision of motorists or block pedestrian access to sidewalks or intersections.

It's the same for state property. Political signs placed on state highway right-of-way are prohibited and will be removed without notice, said Oregon Department of Transportation Region 2 spokesman Lou Torres.

Signs don't command a lot of votes, so we're not sure why we see so many. Donald Green of Columbia University and several other researchers, who published a study in 2016, noted that lawn signs increase voter share by 1.7 percentage points on average, a positive increase, but nothing to write home about.

They appear to have a minimal effect on persuading voters to choose a certain candidate or issue but not much effect on voter turnout. 

Some political consultants consider them such a waste of time and money, they don't bother investing in them.

These corrugated plastic, low-technology campaign tactics are clogging public right-of-ways here in Salem.

We encourage residents to call the city's planning department since it's a complaint-driven process. Property owners are typically visited by city staff and given time to comply with the SRC.

Code-enforcement officers do sweeps occasionally and take down signs. But it's time for the city to remind candidates and campaigns that abiding by regulation is not just for a few, but for all.

More:Immigration organization's listing as hate group does not serve state well

More:When ignoring work calls on the road could save your life

More:Gun measures could come to Oregon with or without gun owners' input