Vote posters glued to buildings leave Virginia business owners with cleanup bill

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Large posters plastered around town urging people to vote have irked some business owners and prompted police to investigate.

Rob Matzell first noticed the bright yellow and orange signs this morning when he arrived for work at Willow Lawn Service Center on West Broad St. in Henrico's West End.

"I didn't know if it was a Halloween thing. They used to have a Spirit Halloween store behind us," he said. "I went to pull it down, realized it was still sticking to it, coming apart. So at that point, I knew it was gonna be a pain to get off."

Matzell called police to investigate the vandalism.

"I'm not real happy about it. I've got a sticker I've got to pull off. I've got residue that sticks to it. I've got to pay someone to clean that off, power wash it, scrub it, do whatever, probably repaint afterwards if it takes paint off," he said, "We're a small independent business, been around for over 50 years and try to keep our prices low on gas. Most people around here know that. But stuff like this just costs us more money... it's not right for people to do this, whether it's political or whatever, it's just destroying somebody else's property."

Between October 20, 2026, and October 28, 2026, a Henrico Police spokesperson said police have received three calls for service of signs glued to the side of businesses.

6000 block of W. Broad Street on Oct. 20, 2026
1100 block of Wilkinson Road on Oct. 24, 2026
5300 block of W. Broad Street on Oct. 28, 2026.

"Two reports for vandalism were created, and officers have been assigned for follow-up and investigation," a Henrico Police spokesperson said via email. "There is currently no suspect information to share, and it is too early in the investigation to determine the exact charges that may be applicable."

Similar posters have appeared in other parts of the region.

Richmond Police recently took a report for destruction of property on South Harrison.

"The complainant reported unknown persons glued large voting posters, six feet by 10 feet, to a wall of a building," a Richmond police spokesperson said. "Paint damage was the result of the removal of the signs."

Matzell said he supports peoples' right to protest and encourages everyone to vote, but has a message for those sticking the posters on private property.

"Don't destroy someone else's property," he said. "This is a small, little business. We own this. It's not some big corporate company that has plenty of money to do whatever. This is us. We'll be out here scrubbing and cleaning ourselves."

Henrico Police asked anyone with information to contact them at 804-501-5000.

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