It’s a good thing yard signs don’t vote, because if they did, Rocky Anderson would be committing voter fraud.
It’s hard to miss Anderson’s signs around the city these days, which had me thinking maybe he has more support to be mayor than I realized. That is, until he showed up in my neighborhood a few weeks ago. I came home one day to the house I rent in the lower Avenues to see one of those distinctive “Rocky for Mayor” yard signs perched in the front yard. I immediately suspected it was one of my roommates or my landlord, but none of the tenants or owners said they authorized it. Anderson staked his sign into our lawn without anyone’s permission.
This not only made me angry, but made me wonder how many of his signs convey genuine support for Anderson, versus how many were placed there without the enthusiasm or consent of the voters who live in the house behind the sign. A curious number of them appear at rental and seemingly vacant properties.
This practice may be legal, but I surely wouldn’t call it ethical. It’s deceitful, and designed to convey a false sense of support among residents. If other residents of Salt Lake are as bothered by Anderson doing as he pleases on private property as my neighbors and I are, then perhaps this issue is one that needs to be addressed in the next legislative session.
I know who I’m voting for this fall, and it’s not the same person whose yard sign was (very briefly) on my front lawn.
Alexa Oldham, Salt Lake City
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