Officials with the Liberal, Green and New Democratic parties in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex say there is always damage to signs during an election but what is happening this year is an “unprecedented assault on democracy.”

The three organizations say there have been numerous reports of signs being stolen, removed and replaced by other parties’ signs or vandalized.

“The theft or vandalism of signs occurs in every election, but what we are witnessing is unprecedented. It appears there may even be an orchestrated effort by persons or groups who are, in a cowardly and reprehensible way, attempting to undermine Canadian democracy.”

The three parties say supporters pay for the signs are placed by volunteers, “people who sacrifice their own time to support their candidates. That must be respected as should be the right to the freedom of expression of voters.

“If anyone has information on the parties responsible for tampering with political signs, they are asked to inform their local police,” they say, adding tampering with election signs is a criminal offense.