Voters can expect to see campaign signs in yards around town as they head to the polls on Aug. 2, but not at precinct places that are also churches.
Independence Township sign rules point out no-signs policies at Precinct 1 at St. Trinity Lutheran, 7925 Sashabaw Road; Precinct 2, First Congregational Church 5449 Clarkston Road; Precinct 5, Calvary Lutheran Church, 6805 Bluegrass Drive; and Precincts 10 and 11, Mt. Zion Church, 4900 Maybee Road.
Michael Powell of Independence Township sees that as a free speech issue.
“If churches that have agreed to be representatives of the township government on election day and are allowed to ban political signs on what has become public land for that day, then what’s stopping those same churches from banning newspaper reporters at that same public polling station,” Powell asked. “We never had signs banned from polling stations when elections were held at schools as long as those signs followed the 100-foot rule.”
Township Clerk Barbara Pallotta said churches are tax exempt, 501c3 organizations, with rules regulated by the IRS.
“Polling locations in churches are not on public property; they are on private property,” Pallotta said. “To protect their non-profit status, several of the church locations have submitted a signed policy indicating political signs are prohibited on their property. This policy means signs cannot be ‘inserted on the grounds of the property.’”
The policies do not prohibit campaigners from holding signs or having signs elevated from the ground on chairs or attached to vehicles in the parking lot on election day, as long as the signs meet the 100-foot campaign rule, she said.
The church locations could not be easily replaced, she said.
“We are very limited as to where precinct locations may be established,” the clerk said. “Per MCL 168.662, a polling place must be located in a publicly owned or controlled facility such as a school building, fire station or police station. If it is necessary to establish a polling place in a building other than a publicly owned or controlled facility, the building must be owned or controlled by an organization that is exempt from federal income tax.”
Township sign ordinance rules also include no signs before 14 days prior to an election, signs shall be erected on private property only outside of a public right-of-way, and no less than 100 feet from any entrance to a building in which a polling place is located. Political signs shall not exceed 16 square feet in area and four feet in height in all single-family residential districts. Political signs in all other districts shall conform to the requirements for ground signs in each district. All political signs shall be removed 10 days following election day.

  political signs