Las Vegas mother asked by condo manager to remove Kamala sign

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A Las Vegas mom and aspiring law student says she was ordered to take down signs supporting Kamala Harris and Sen. Jacky Rosen from her apartment window. FOX5 went to the Spring Valley-area apartment complex in question on Wednesday.

“I actually chose these signs over the yard signs because I thought they might complain about them,” Whitney Shepard explained. Shepard never imagined the backlash she would face over the two standard campaign signs in her front windows. So far, she has received two letters from management and one from a lawyer demanding they be removed.

“They told me if I didn’t get it done by the weekend they would fine me $30,” Shepard revealed.

“Please remove sign from window,” reads a handwritten note on one of the notes, next to the highlighted section of the lease regarding window coverings.

“I know the terminology in my lease doesn’t say anything about the signs… I put them up because they’re important to me and I felt like being ordered to remove them was silencing me,” Shepard claimed.

The aspiring law student, who is currently studying for the LSAT, dismissed the letter, citing the law as a form of bullying. Shepard wants to be a role model for her 9-year-old daughter, Winter, just like Kamala Harris. The mother-daughter duo attended her rally at Thomas and Mack at UNLV last weekend.

“For her to be able to look back… to see someone who looks like her, it just means a lot to her,” Shepard shared.

What are the rules for displaying political banners in apartments, flats and even in housing estates managed by property owners’ associations?

“We as Nevadans need to understand that we have First Amendment rights, and those rights are strongest in our own country,” argued Jacob Smith, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada.

Smith argues that political signs are not only protected by the First Amendment, but also enshrined in Nevada state law.

“A lot of people are being threatened with fines or just paying fines when they’re being threatened by these HOAs… restricting political speech is a huge, huge problem,” Smith said. The ACLU tells FOX5 there are some rules that can be enforced, such as the number of signs and their size.

Shepard told FOX5 that during an exchange with the apartment manager, she was notified that the rent would increase at the end of her lease in the fall. In order not to reveal where Shepard lives, FOX5 is not naming the complex.

FOX5 reached out to the apartment complex Wednesday afternoon but has not heard back.

The ACLU of Nevada has made available the following sections of the NRS regarding election signs:

NRS 116.325 Right of unit owners to display political signs in specified areas; conditions and limitations on the exercise of this right.

1. The board may not, and the governing documents may not, prohibit an owner or occupier of a unit from displaying one or more political signs within a physical part of the common interest community which the owner or occupier has the right to occupy and use only subject to the following conditions:

(a) All political banners displayed may not exceed 24 by 36 inches.

(b) If the premises are occupied by a tenant, the landlord shall not display any political signs unless the tenant consents in writing to the display of such sign.

(c) All political banners displayed are subject to all applicable laws governing the display of political banners.

(d) An owner or occupant of a premises may display any number of political signs, but may not display more than one political sign for each candidate, political party or ballot question.

2. The provisions of this article establish the minimum rights of an owner or occupant of a unit to display political signs. The provisions of this article do not preclude any provisions of the governing documents that provide greater rights and do not require the governing documents or the board to impose any restrictions on the display of political signs other than those established by other law.

3. For purposes of this section, “political sign” means a sign expressing support for or opposition to a candidate, political party, or ballot question at the federal, state, or local level or in an association election.

NRS 116B.715 Right of unit owners to display political signs in specified areas; conditions and limitations on the exercise of this right.

1. The board shall not, and the governing documents shall not, prohibit an owner or occupant of a unit from displaying a political sign within the physical part of the apartment hotel which the owner or occupant is entitled to occupy and use only if the political sign is not larger than 24 inches by 36 inches.

2. The provisions of this article establish the minimum rights of an owner or occupant of a unit to display a political sign. The provisions of this article do not preclude any provisions of the governing documents that provide greater rights and do not require the governing documents or the board to impose any restrictions on the display of political signs other than those established by other law.

3. For the purposes of this section, “political sign” means a sign expressing support for or opposition to a candidate, political party or election question.

(Added to NRS by 2007, 2248)