With a little more than a month left before Alabama’s Nov. 3 general election, Republican gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville says his campaign has a problem it didn’t face six years ago: its yard signs keep disappearing.
Tuberville, speaking during a Sept. 24 radio appearance, said his campaign has already distributed between 75,000 and 100,000 signs across Alabama. “They don’t last very long,” he said. Local Republican and Democratic party leaders in Mobile and Baldwin counties, however, say they have not heard of signs being stolen in their areas.
A listener’s question
The topic came up when a caller identified as “Tom” asked about the campaign’s ground game.
“Please ask Coach Tuberville where are the ground troops putting out yard signs, etc. for his campaign. What are they doing to get good turnout for Election Day? I’m sick of seeing the dug signs around Homewood,” the listener said.
Tuberville said political opposition was to blame. He told the hosts the signs disappear soon after they go up and promised his campaign would keep distributing them ahead of Nov. 3, when he faces Democrat Doug Jones in the race for governor.
“We didn’t have this problem back when I was running for Senate,” Tuberville said. “You can tell how much politics has changed in the six-year period. We put out over 100,000 to 150,000 yard signs. We had no problem.”
“This time we’re putting yard signs out, and within 10 to 12 hours they’re gone. For some reason the left has just decided that [they’re] just going to fight back with yard signs and everything. It makes no sense to me,” he said. “I guess that’s part of our country nowadays — you just have do more and try to just convince people the other ways too, like TV and radio. But I’m excited about the next month and we’ll work through this.”
Tuberville did not offer evidence of who was taking the signs. His campaign did not respond to questions seeking more information.
A rematch of sorts
The governor’s race pits two men who have faced each other before. Tuberville, the former Auburn University head football coach, defeated Jones in the 2020 U.S. Senate race, unseating the Democrat who had won a 2017 special election. Tuberville is now running to succeed Gov. Kay Ivey, who is term-limited.
What campaign finance reports show
It is not immediately clear how much Tuberville’s gubernatorial campaign has spent on yard signs and banners. Campaign finance expense reports show the campaign has spent more than $600,000 on advertising since it launched in May 2025. But only two vendors can be directly linked to display spending: about $800 paid to Victory Designs and roughly $300 paid to Sticker Mule. Neither expenditure includes a description of what was purchased.
Spending by the Jones campaign on signs is more clear-cut. Campaign finance reports show Jones has paid at least $133,500 to businesses explicitly identified as sign companies, with the largest share going to Vinyltech Signs in Prattville. The Jones campaign said it has been distributing thousands of signs per week across the state.
Local Republicans: Signs going out by the thousands
Local Republican officials say Tuberville signs are in high demand and being handed out in large numbers.
Mobile County Republican Party Chair Terry Lathan said Tuberville signs are available at the party’s headquarters in the Pinebrook Shopping Center on Airport Boulevard in Mobile. She said the campaign’s ground operation picked up after Labor Day and distributed thousands of signs during the Alabama Republican Party’s summer dinner.
“We have had to replenish them already,” Lathan said. “We don’t really keep a count of what goes out, but we reorder as needed.”
Lathan said she has not heard of Republican signs being stolen or removed in Mobile County, though she acknowledged it is a common tactic during elections.
“It’s not uncommon to deal with ‘sign wars,’ but it’s a stupid, futile effort,” she said, noting that taking signs can be a chargeable offense depending on the circumstances.
In Baldwin County, Republican Party Executive Committee member Tim Lower said several hundred Tuberville signs were brought back from a recent state executive committee meeting, and he expects more soon, including “Vote the Republican Ticket” signs and signs for Tuberville and other candidates.
Lower said local Republican officials and organizations, including several women’s groups, are helping distribute them. Signs can be picked up at his office at The Professional Center, 307 S. McKenzie St. in Foley.
Lower said he has not personally seen evidence of signs being removed in Baldwin County. Instead, he said Republicans from around the county, including in rural communities, have been reaching out asking how to get them.
Local Democrats: ‘We get calls every day’
Mobile County Democratic Party Chairman Ben Harris said Democrats are pleased with how visible Jones and other Democratic candidates have been through yard signs. He said he also has not heard of any instances of stolen signs.
“We are thrilled with the number of signs for Doug Jones and all of our candidates,” Harris said. “We get calls every day from people who want a sign.”
Harris said he has even spotted a “Republican for Jones” sign in Mobile County, and that Jones signs appear to outnumber Tuberville signs in the area.
“I can’t speak to why there aren’t many Tuberville signs, but we’re enthusiastic about the number of signs for our candidates,” Harris said. “Absolutely would agree there would be more Jones than Tuberville signs. We think that is very good for our campaign.”
Where to get signs locally
- Tuberville and Republican signs, Mobile County: Mobile County Republican Party headquarters, Pinebrook Shopping Center, Airport Boulevard, Mobile.
- Tuberville and Republican signs, Baldwin County: The Professional Center, 307 S. McKenzie St., Foley.
- Jones signs, Mobile County: 11 South Florida St., Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Jones signs, Baldwin County: 7 Bayview St. South, Fairhope, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sign etiquette and the law
Taking or damaging a political sign that someone has placed on their own property can lead to criminal charges, such as theft or criminal mischief, depending on the circumstances and the value involved. At the same time, many cities have rules about where campaign signs can be placed, and signs posted in public rights-of-way, on utility poles or along highways may be removed by government crews. Residents who want to display signs should place them on private property with the owner’s permission and check local ordinances for size and placement limits.
Anyone who believes a sign has been stolen from their property can report it to local law enforcement.
The road to Nov. 3
Yard signs are one of the oldest tools in American politics, and while campaigns increasingly rely on television, radio, digital ads and door-knocking, local party leaders on both sides say demand for signs remains strong. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Alabama voters can check their registration status and polling place through the Alabama Secretary of State’s office.