Mischief Night - Were Barack Obama and John McCain Signs Tampered With?

Last night, on Mischief Night, a friend who supports John McCain joked about egging houses that had Barack Obama signs in their yards. Another friend joked about stealing John McCain signs from their yards, as an "innocent prank" (their own words) for Mischief Night. While this did not seem like something that people would really do, it is something that happened - probably throughout many areas in the United States - last night. Here are some of the things that friends - located in the area and in other states - mentioned that I thought were very interesting.

Toilet Papered Yards

One friend noticed that on their street, which has many houses and a lot of campaign signs in their yards, only homes which had Barack Obama signs were toilet papered. The yards which did not have any signs, as well as the yards that had John McCain signs, were not toilet papered at all. Coincidence? Doesn't seem like it.

Toilet Papered Signs

Another friend noticed that on their street, only yards with John McCain signs were toilet papered. This time, it was a little bit different, however. The entire yard did not consist of toilet paper. Instead, the sign itself was only toilet papered, making the reason that each yard was targeted very clear. There is no need to even question if this was a coincidence.

Missing Campaign Signs

In another town, a friend mentioned that campaign signs were taken from yards on Mischief Night. In this case, it was Barack Obama signs which had gone missing. If my friend who joked about stealing McCain signs was supporting the opposite side and was located in the same town, I would have wondered if it was him. This friend mentioned that although there was only one McCain sign on the street, the only signs which went missing were Obama signs.

While I realize that people are going to do what they want to do, especially on Mischief Night, it does not make complete sense to me. If you really want someone to change their opinion and vote for the candidate that you support, why steal their signs or vandalize their yard? Although this may not have a direct correlation to the candidate himself, some people are likely to associate it with that candidate - and ultimately, find themselves opposing the candidate even more than they already do. Also, stealing a sign or toilet papering it is not going to change that person's mind; they will still vote for who they want to win on election day. If they support the candidate enough to put a sign in their yard, in such a controversial election, their mind is probably unchangeable anyway.

So, did you experience a toilet papering or egging of the house on Mischief Night 2008? If so, do you just so happen to have a sign in your yard, no matter which president candidate it is that you are supporting? Is it nothing but a coincidence, or could it be something more?