The BC Conservative candidate in the Langley riding says someone is breaking, knocking down, or tossing her signs into the road on a regular basis.
Around Oct. 12 to 14, Shelly Jan said about 15 signs were broken or vandalized.
The signs have been pulled up, folded in half, and wooden posts holding them broken, she said.
“Some are just thrown away on the ground.”
Hers are not the only signs she’s seen vandalized around Langley – she mentioned an NDP sign that was also pulled up, and a Liberal sign that was spray painted – but she’s lost about 15 signs over a two day period, Jan said.
There have been no aggressive or threatening emails or phone calls to her campaign, but Jan said she supposes someone out there just doesn’t like Conservatives.
She and her campaign have managed to salvage many of the signs – including one that was tossed onto 200th Street in Langley City.
Damaging or destroying signs is bad for the democratic process, Jan said.
Because of the snap election call and the lack of ability to host gatherings or do a lot of doorknocking due to COVID-19, Jan noted that signs are more important than ever.
“That’s our first line of defense, so to speak,” she said.
They’re one of the few ways of getting the word out to people that the Langley riding has a Conservative candidate on the ballot, she noted.
Langley RCMP have not received calls recently about a significant number of vandalism incidents involving election signs, but vandalism, whether targeted to a specific candidate’s signs or indiscriminate in a general area, is common during elections.
Jan noted there’s little she can do other than raise awareness.
“Short of posting someone here to watch your stuff, what do you do?” she said.
