Raleigh police responded Thursday to the Optimist Park early voting site, where witnesses saw a voter shouting at several other voters and volunteers and tearing up campaign signs in support of Democrats Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
Videos shared with WRAL News show people confronting a man who holds crumpled Harris-Walz signs in his hands as he gets into a Honda van.
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"Sir, put the signs down," a man said to the other man with the signs. "They're not yours."
"It is illegal to assault people," said the man who stole the signs to the people confronting him.
The man who stole the signs used his car keys to rip up the Harris-Walz signs before driving away with his wife and baby. He stopped to steal one more sign and blow a kiss to the voters who confronted him on the way out.
Retiree Lisa Williams, the Democratic coordinator for the Optimist Park early voting site, said she was checking on her volunteers when someone alerted her that the man was stealing the signs.
"I did see him pull up the signs, so I knew who it was," Williams said.
Williams was one of the people who confronted the man, asking him to return the signs. She said she's been a volunteer for a long time, but has never had an encounter like Thursday's.
"It upsets me when somebody's yelling, and he was yelling things that weren't even true," Williams said. "There was nothing I could say to change his mind or make a difference, except to say that we think he's breaking the law and that he shouldn't be taking the signs."
WRAL News also spoke by phone with the man who stole the signs. He said he went to Optimist Park to vote early, and claimed he was the victim in the scenario.
"No regrets," he said.
"I didn't mean to cause such a stink, but my understanding is that when signs are placed in public places, like on the road or on government land, it's essentially litter and you're allowed to pick them up if you want to," the man said.
The man said Williams assaulted him by attempting to take the signs away from him, knocking his keys to the ground. He said it broke his key chain.
Removing or stealing a political sign is a crime. Political campaign signs are generally considered personal property both when placed on private property and when lawfully placed in public places, which means removing one is considered theft. It is a misdemeanor to steal or destroy a legally placed political sign. It could get you 20 days in jail or a $200 fine.
"If I get in trouble and they want me to pay a ticket, I'll pay a ticket," said the man, who claimed he was expressing his political beliefs by destroying the signs.
WRAL News has asked Raleigh police whether they plan to make an arrest or issue charges against the man. We are waiting to hear back.
Wake County Board of Elections director Olivia McCall said the incident happened outside the voting site's designated buffer zone and "had no impact on site operations or voting processes."
State Elections Director Karen Brinson Bell said if voters are being harassed or threatened by someone at a voting site, they should tell an election official.
"They have the authority to step in, they have the training to step in, and if need be, let's hope it's not the case, but if need be, we'll call in local law enforcement to help in peacekeeping or to ease any disruption that may be taking place," Bell said.Harris, the vice president of the United States, is running for president against Republican nominee Donald Trump. A WRAL News poll found Harris and Trump are in a dead heat in North Carolina, which is considered a swing state.
Early voting continues through 3 p.m. Saturday in North Carolina. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
