As a staunch defender of the First Amendment, I was disappointed that a Trump supporter had her sign painted over. As a volunteer who placed Biden/Harris signs around my town, I was discouraged at their disappearance.  Other volunteers for Biden/Harris placed a large wooden sign on my property, but a couple of weeks later it was pulled out and thrown behind brush, forcing me to use a crow bar to reposition it. My property, which presumably Republicans find sacred, covers three corners. Opposite the wooden sign, my wire-mounted Biden/Harris sign was driven over.

Most years I paint informative signs such as the amount of wealth held by the top 1%, who received Trump's 3% tax cut, versus the rest of us 99%.

I have had as many as four large wooden signs set up in presidential election cycles and, sure enough, each season they were smashed. I notified the state police for their record-keeping and enjoyed informing the newer cops of the incredible knowledge of one officer after a vehicle had driven through my signs.

He held up a small piece of glass and said that I should feel satisfaction that the driver had broken his headlight. Because it was glass, he knew the vehicle was a pick-up truck of a certain age before headlights had to be plastic.

He also said that the truck was originally red but had been painted black. It's discouraging to share these destructive stories from every election cycle, but this year is different.

I cannot photograph disappeared signs and no newspaper wants photos of grassy, empty roadsides.  My first day, I planted four signs and two days later, they were all gone. Many intersections have no Biden/Harris signs where I know other volunteers erected them more than once. I am disappointed that the Republican party has not taken a public stand against this stupid interference with the First Amendment. Therefore to all voters think of this: as you drive Maine's roads, you are not alone in a desire for a better democracy.

You are surrounded and eased along on a vast blue wave of justice upheld by the Democrat party, which supports all of our Amendments and your rights under our Constitution.

Leslie Woods lives in Montville