Posters on Navan's Dublin Road during the campaign.

Election posters have to come down today

For months in the run up to last week’s polling day, politicians and election candidates were flouting poster laws by using their images to advertise public meetings about issues in their area.
Crime, homelessness, school places, and other topics of public interest were the subject of meetings organised by candidates whose mugshots often appeared more prominently than what the meeting was about, in small letters under the politician’s name.
With the Taoiseach having to call the election within a certain timeframe after the last polling day, candidates had their posters ready, some even chancing their arm by putting them up the night before the Dail was dissolved.
Posters may only be erected for a certain specified time period before an election. This time period is either (a) 30 days before the poll date or (b) from the date the polling day order for the election has been made, whichever provides the shorter period of time.
Posters (including the plastic cable ties) must be removed within seven days of polling day. These requirements for election posters are set out under section 19 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997 and the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2009.
The 2016 General Election Order was signed on 3rd February and fixed polling day on 26th February. Therefore, the number of days to the poll was 24 days and the 30 day period did not apply. Posters could be erected in that case from 3rd February.
Section 20 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997 gives local authorities powers to serve notices on occupiers of property, visible from a public place, to remove advertisements, if it appears to the local authority that it is in the interests of amenity or of the environment of an area to do so.
The responsibility for enforcement of litter law lies with the local authority. Any election/referendum posters in place before or after the timeframe are deemed to be in breach of the legislation and are subject to an on-the-spot litter fine of €150. Local authorities are also responsible for the removal of posters which constitute a hazard to either pedestrians or road users. Complaints about such posters should be made directly to the appropriate local authority stipulating their exact location to enable local authorities arrange for their removal.
Already since Friday’s vote, campaign teams have been out removing posters from lampposts and railings, with all of them due to be removed before this Friday, after which the candidate can be fined for having left posters in place. It has been known in the past for some people to re-erect opponent’s posters in an effort to get them in trouble.