Tulsa city workers discovered razor blades concealed in political campaign signs while removing improperly placed signs on the eve of the November 3 election, the Tulsa Police Department announced Monday.
Police said employees found the razor blades in multiple places on the signs. The department warned in its November 2 post on X that the tampering created a serious danger for anyone handling them.
⚠️ POLITICAL CAMPAIGN SIGN – BOOBY-TRAPS
Some of our City of Tulsa employees were out collecting campaign signs that were placed in areas where it's prohibited to put them.
While picking them up, they noticed that someone had booby-trapped the signs and concealed razor blades… pic.twitter.com/hnDY6rso2H
— Tulsa Police (@TulsaPolice) November 2, 2026
No city employees suffered injuries. Police called the tampering extremely dangerous and illegal and noted that not everyone who handles a sign knows to watch for concealed hazards.
The warning comes one day before Election Day and follows documented incidents in Michigan and Pennsylvania in which razor blades attached to political signs injured people who tried to remove them.
Tulsa’s Rules For Political Campaign Signs
Tulsa prohibits campaign signs on public property, including parks, schools, street medians, intersections, and public rights-of-way.
The city’s sign regulations allow signs on private property with the owner’s permission, limit their size to 16 square feet in residential and office zoning districts, and require removal within seven days after an election.
City ordinances classify certain unauthorized signs in public rights-of-way as litter and allow officials to remove them.
The account does not identify the candidates or parties appearing on the affected signs. It also does not establish who placed the razor blades or why.
Michigan Worker Needed 13 Stitches After Similar Incident
An October 2020 incident in Commerce Township, Michigan, illustrates the potential consequences of concealed blades.
A 52-year-old township employee suffered cuts to three fingers while removing improperly placed Trump-Pence campaign signs along Sleeth Road, reported the Associated Press at the time.
The signs stood approximately 24 feet from the center of the roadway, violating a township rule requiring at least 33 feet of clearance.
Razor blades attached to the bottom of the signs cut the employee, who drove himself to a hospital and received 13 stitches, according to CBS News reporting.
The homeowner told investigators someone had previously stolen her signs and returned them while she was away. She said she did not know about the razor blades.
Pennsylvania Resident Injured Removing Democratic Campaign Sign
Another incident occurred in October 2022 in Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania.
A resident attempted to remove a campaign sign from private property after someone placed it there without permission.
Razor blades along the sign’s perimeter cut the resident’s fingers, according to the Upper Makefield Township Police Department.
Officers subsequently discovered similarly altered signs supporting Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman and Democratic congressional candidate Ashley Ehasz.
Police said the placement appeared intended to injure whoever removed the signs, but the available reporting did not establish the perpetrator’s identity or political motivation.
Texas Has Seen Campaign Sign Vandalism And Theft
Although the Tulsa incident involves a greater physical danger, political sign disputes have also generated police complaints in North Texas.
In April 2023, an individual spray-painted a swastika on an Irving City Council campaign sign supporting Matt Varble outside the Irving Arts Center on the first day of early voting.
Irving police charged Guy McCord with two Class C misdemeanors involving the alleged defacement and removal of campaign signs, as The Dallas Express previously reported.
In February 2024, Tarrant County Constable Scott Bedford said he witnessed someone take a campaign sign near the White Settlement Library during early voting.
The sign referenced then-state Rep. Craig Goldman’s vote to impeach Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. A theft complaint followed the incident, according to prior reporting from The Dallas Express.
Police Warnings Take On New Urgency Before Election Day
With the November 3 election approaching, residents who encounter suspicious campaign signs should avoid handling potentially dangerous materials and contact local authorities.
Police did not specify how many signs contained blades, which campaigns the signs supported, or who tampered with them.
