APPLETON - Some residents received an unusual marketing gimmick in their mailboxes this week from mayoral candidate Eric Beach.

A roll of toilet paper.

"I'm just getting people's attention. That's all," Beach told The Post-Crescent. "I'm just having fun. We don't have to be so serious about everything."

His distribution of toilet paper has raised some serious concerns, however.

For starters, the toilet paper was placed in U.S. mailboxes. By law, a mailbox is intended only for receipt of postage-paid U.S. mail.

"I've been informed of this, that it's not legal to do that," Beach said Friday. "I won't put any more in the mailbox."

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Questions also have been raised whether a roll of toilet paper constitutes a gift for a vote.

The roll of toilet paper contains a sticker that says "Eric Beach for Mayor" and "Getting 'IT' Done!" along with his website. It is accompanied by a campaign flier.

"It's not a gift," Beach said. "It's just my branding and marketing."

Wisconsin's election bribery statute prohibits offering anything of value to induce an elector to vote or refrain from voting for or against a particular person.

The law says anything of value "includes any amount of money, or any object which has utility independent of any political message it contains and the value of which exceeds $1."

Toilet paper has a use that's independent of Beach's message, but a Google search lists the average cost of a roll of toilet paper at 84 cents.

Reid Magney, public information officer for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said if a complaint were filed, the district attorney's office would be responsible for determining whether a violation of the law has occurred.

"I don't believe I have ever, in my 10½ years here, had anybody ask me whether or not it is permissible for a candidate to hand out rolls of toilet paper," Magney said.

Beach called the roll of toilet paper his "500-page resume" and described it as "one of my fliers — a big, fat one."

"It's just a light-humored joke," he said. "If people can't take a joke, I'm sorry. I apologize."

Beach said he has distributed "quite a few" rolls thus far. His campaign website includes a photograph of him standing before pallets of toilet paper that rise above his head.

Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.