ELECTION signs would effectively be banned from public property under a proposal to be put to the Local Government Association’s annual general meeting on Friday.

Under another proposal, parties would be fined for putting up posters too early, ahead of elections.

The issue came to the fore in May when Liberal Party candidates put posters on Stobie poles the weekend the federal election was called. Legally, they should only have been put up two weeks later, when writs were issued.

Other parties soon followed.

Some councils ordered the signs to be taken down, some took them down themselves, some fined individuals who put them up and some did nothing.

media_camera Mark Ward puts up an election sign on Goodwood Rd, Cumberland Park, ahead of the July Federal election.

West Torrens will ask other councils to call for the end to an agreement signed in 2014 between the LGA, SA Power Networks and the Transport Department.

It gave “general approval” for signs to be hung on poles during an election, rather than requiring candidates to get permission from each organisation.

West Torrens councillor John Woodward originally wanted to ban the “visually terrible” election posters altogether but legal advice was this would be unconstitutional because it would limit freedom of political communication.

Cr Woodward argues ending the agreement between the three organisations will create such an administrative burden, it will effectively ban the posters.

“In terms of infrastructure like Stobie poles, each individual would have to go to SA Power Networks – who I used to work for – and I can’t imagine they would be too enthusiastic about dealing with individual candidates in an election campaign,” Cr Woodward said.

A motion from Mt Barker District Council calls for the LGA to lobby the State Government to allow councils to fine the party or person running for election if they put posters up too early, rather than having to find the individual who put up the sign.

Mt Barker Mayor Ann Ferguson said currently party members could put up signs at 3am and there was “no clear process” to fine their party.

Other motions to go the meeting include allowing online voting at the 2018 local government election; requiring cyclists to wear high-visibility clothing; and setting up a lottery to fund heritage projects.