Just like that, another election season has come and passed. While there may be some interesting stories about this election still coming down the line when official totals are announced, the last vote has been cast in Beaufort County until next year’s primary elections.

As such, the need to capture voters’ attention is no more. Yet, throughout Beaufort County and beyond, reminders of elections gone by have a bad habit of outstaying their welcome. Pieces of plastic affixed to metal wires sometimes hang out on the roadsides for days, weeks, even months after the polls have closed.

Where does one draw the line between campaigning and littering? There are certain rules regarding where one can place campaign signs, and state law says they must be removed within 10 days of Election Day. The law, however, does not lay out any penalty for failing to do so.

To the candidates who chose to run for local offices, thank you for your desire to make our communities a better place. Whether you won a seat or lost this go round, you can still do your part in helping clean up our communities, starting with picking up your campaign signs.

The same applies to private landowners who chose to show their support for local candidates. While you could, in theory, leave these things up year round, your neighborhood will probably thank you for taking them down sooner than later.

Perhaps if our newly-elected and would-be leaders make sure that their campaign messages don’t become litter, local residents will follow their shining example and pick up other pieces of litter in public places and on their private property.

So there you have it candidates: a cleaner community begins with you picking up your yard signs. From there, maybe we can work together to get trash out of our parks and pull plastic from our streams and rivers.

By picking up those campaign signs, you very well could be the beginning of a cleaner, healthier ecosystem. At least, it’s worth a shot.