Hey Tom, I admire your enthusiasm and willingness to help candidates you believe in. Since writing this article, it’s come to my attention that different jurisdictions have different rules about political activities, so your mileage may vary in different areas.

That said, trespassing on my property in violation of a “No Soliciting” sign is a very different thing than a U.S. Postal Service employee delivering mail to USPS property. And even if they were the same thing, breaking the law because others do so with impunity is a lousy justification.

I find it humorous that you’ll respond differently to a “No Soliciting” sign on someone’s front door than you do to the one at the entrance to the neighborhood. I don’t need a sign on my front door because in Florida where I am, the one at the neighborhood serves as legal notice.

And we’re going to disagree about the distinction you’re making with regard to soliciting. To solicit doesn’t require selling anything or accepting donations at all.

As I mentioned in the post, I didn’t research the specific case law around candidates for office. I still haven’t, although armed with what you shared here, I might.

That said, the question still remains as to whether or not the candidate should go door-to-door in a neighborhood with a posted sign. What is strictly legal and what may leave a favorable impression on voters are two different things. Certainly, if a candidate didn’t care about leaving a negative impression on voters, that candidate could do what is within his or her rights to do. But then it’s a coin toss as to whether that candidate will gain or lose.

That’s in keeping with a 2002 decision where the Supreme Court found that the U.S. Constitution protects the rights of missionaries, politicians and activists to knock on your door and offer to tell you what they believe or why you should vote for them or care about their cause.

In Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc. v. Village of Stratton, the case was brought against the tiny town of Stratton, Ohio, for requiring that Jehovah’s Witnesses register with officials before knocking on doors. A diverse group of allies, from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Gun Owners of America to the American Civil Liberties Union, all signed onto the missionaries’ side.

The court smacked the law down by a decisive 8 to 1 vote. Conclusion: The First Amendment guarantees your right to take a message — but not a sales pitch — directly to someone’s door, regardless of a no solicitation sign.