'Very frustrating': Austin City Council candidates call out sign stealing, vandalism

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly and city council hopeful Pierre Nguyễn have very different policies and are running for different districts, but they united this week in calling out a problem they said they're already seeing this election season.

"As of this week, I have gotten notification from several individuals we had delivered signs to stating those signs had been stolen," Kelly said.

Nguyễn said that's happened to him too -- and like most candidates, he's got a much smaller budget than Kelly, according to filings.

"It can be anywhere from like $5 to $10 depending on how many signs you purchase all at once and so that loss can add up if you keep on having signs go missing and then you have to replace them," said Nguyễn. "It's very frustrating and it's very upsetting."

We asked the City of Austin what the penalties are for stealing or vandalizing yard signage. They directed us to the Texas Ethics Commission, which "generally does not regulate the placement or removal of political signs" and instead largely dictates which disclosure statements must appear on those signs, according to their website.

"There are prohibitions in the Transportation Code on placing a sign in the public right-of-way. If the sign is on private property, it could be a theft of property offense under the penal code," a City of Austin spokesperson said.

Ultimately, the candidates said the issue appears to go unpunished -- so they're calling on you instead to keep this election cycle civil, yard signs and all.

"I really feel that vandalism and sign stealing undermines the democratic process that we have. Everyone should feel safe supporting the candidate of their choice based on whatever their beliefs are and how they align politically," Kelly said.