Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill has ordered the removal of political signs that urged county residents to vote “No” on the upcoming sales tax referendum on March 3.

The Cullman County School Board asked for the one-cent sales tax referendum to be put on the ballot to provide more funding that will be used on school facilities and security, and the signs encouraging a negative vote were placed around the county’s schools early Thursday morning.

The signs’ message wasn’t in any violation of state law, but they did not follow the laws that require signs to disclose who printed them, according to a release from Merrill.

The signs do not list a disclaimer containing the identification of the person, candidate, principal campaign committee, or political action committee responsible for the printing of the signs, as required by Section 17-5-13 of the Code of Alabama.

“It is extremely important to keep the citizens of Alabama informed of accurate and complete information – especially during election season. Though it is not always the intent of the distributor to spread false or partial information, it is on everyone to hold each other accountable,” Merrill said in the release.

Other signs that are present around schools that encourage a “Yes” vote are in compliance with state law, as they list the political action committee responsible for their printing. 

That PAC, called Advocated for Excellence in Education, is registered in accordance with the Fair Campaign Practices Act and lists former Cullman County School Board member Wendy Crider as its chairwoman.