BLOOMINGTON - Though the theft of political yard signs is not exactly unexpected right before an election, the McLean County Republicans say it's gotten a bit out of hand recently. | Election page

The county GOP says at least a dozen people a day have come into its Bloomington headquarters in the past week or so to ask for a replacement McCain yard sign - far more than in 2004 and certainly up from other recent elections.

"I've never seen anything like this" in the last 20 years, John Parrott Jr., chairman of the county GOP, said Wednesday.

It's hard to say just how many political yard signs go missing each election; Normal police rarely even take theft reports involving the signs largely because it happens so often.

Bloomington, Normal and McLean County sheriff's police said Wednesday that they haven't heard of any major uptick in the number of sign thefts, though in general such suspects are tough to track down - despite suspicions from both sides as to who's responsible.

Mike Matejka, with the McLean County Democratic Party, said his group hadn't seen any significant increase in the number of sign thefts.

Any person who has his or her GOP sign stolen can pick up a new display at the county Republican headquarters, 1704 Eastland Square, Suite 15, said Steve LaBerge, member of the group's executive committee. The signs, which cost about $2.50 to make (depending on the size of the order), are free to take home, though LaBerge the group does accept donations.

For homeowners, the rules for displaying those signs in your front yard are about the same for Normal and Bloomington. They must be placed in the actual yard, not the right-of-way between the sidewalk and the street. And any sign that creates a visual safety hazard for motorists or pedestrians will catch the attention of city staff.

In Bloomington, the rule is one sign per candidate per lawn. Normal is a little more hands-off with such rules, and the town likely won't take action unless something is a safety hazard or is illegally placed, said Greg Troemel, director of Normal's Building Inspection Division.