Our Voice: Do the right thing. Remove campaign signs, make your vote count

This is an odd time of year in the Tri-Cities.

Driving around, passersby can spot the remnants of Halloween as well as the first splash of Christmas decorations in the same neighborhood. It makes for an amusing mishmash.

Add those lonely-looking, neglected campaign signs, and we have an exceptionally odd mix of community adornment.

Like an unwanted loiterer, those political signs need to move on — preferably into storage where candidates can use them again.

The election was over a week ago, and most candidates have done a good job of taking down their signs that marked street corners and major thoroughfares.

But a spattering remain.

We understand it can take a while to get to all of them — especially where candidates campaigned citywide, like in Kennewick and Richland. But rules are rules.

According to state code, campaign signs must be removed within 10 days of the election.

Most cities in the Mid-Columbia have policies that keep to that time frame, except for Kennewick, which is tighter.

If you have a campaign sign still up in Kennewick, time is up. City rules require election signs be removed within seven days of the election.

In addition to following city and state codes, candidates who run for public office should take their signs down quickly as an example of good citizenship.

Political signs can be distracting and a blight on the landscape.

While they are part of the election process, we accept them. They carry a message and serve a purpose.

After the election, however, that purpose is no longer relevant.

Backers of ballot measures also need to make sure their signs are down. It is not the city’s job to remove them.

Pasco School Bond

On the subject of ballot measures, the fate of the Pasco school bond proposal is wavering on a thin line.

After Monday’s count, the measure was failing by only two votes.

More ballots could arrive by mail, however, and there are over 100 challenged ballots that need verification to be valid.

If you get a letter in the mail from the Franklin County Auditor’s office, do not dismiss it. It’s likely asking you to sign your ballot or clarify something else about it.

If you took the time to vote, you should make sure your vote counts. Please respond to any questions about your ballot.

And do it before Nov. 28, when the county has to certify the election.

School bonds need 60 percent plus one vote to pass. The latest update for the Pasco school bond has 6,221 yes votes out of 10,369 votes cast. That’s 59.99 percent.

The next ballot count is expected in a few days — and Pasco school officials are hoping for the best.

It will be a shame if questionable ballots that could have pushed the school bond over the top end up not being counted because of a simple mistake by the voter who sent it.

This story was originally published November 14, 2017 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Our Voice: Do the right thing. Remove campaign signs, make your vote count."