As part of the upcoming election, political canvassers/campaigners may be coming into your Roseville neighborhood to provide or collect information regarding political candidates. Here is some information about this specific type of residential contact:
Can political canvassers still knock on my door if I have a “No Soliciting” sign clearly displayed?
Yes. Solicitation as defined in the Roseville Municipal Code 10.36 regulates “commercial speech” (i.e. an activity intended for exchange in the market to earn an economic profit or gain). Political activity is considered non-commercial speech and the First Amendment offers greater protections for people who want to engage in non-commercial speech.
If I tell political canvassers to leave my property, must they do so promptly?
Yes. A residential property owner still has the right to exclude anyone they want from their property under trespassing laws. There is no exemption to this right for political campaigners.
If a political canvasser does not leave immediately when I request they do so, who do I report it to?
You can report a violation to RPD using the non-emergency number (916-774-5000 option 1). Provide the dispatcher with the person(s) name if you have it, along with their physical description and, most importantly, they must still be in the area. For RPD to be able to do something, they need to know these details and the violation must be reported right away while the person is still in the area.
If you do not want political campaigners/canvassers to come to your door at all, you can put up a sign that clearly says so, and the person engaging in political activity should respect it and not come to the door.