"The signs are such an indication of the passion people have and the fact that people publicly want to support their candidate," said Mary Powell, a Kerry fan whose suburban Cleveland neighborhood is lined with signs in favor of both tickets.

Recent polls show Republican Bush and Democrat Kerry virtually tied in Ohio, a swing state with 20 electoral votes that both sides have declared a must-win.

Powell, a die-hard Democrat who's having a party Sunday to give away hard-to-get Kerry signs, said based on the signs in her Shaker Heights neighborhood, both candidates have strong support.

"This is an election of great emotion," she said. "The passion over the signs is proof of that."

Bush and Kerry campaign leaders say they've never seen such interest in political placards, and can't keep up with the demand.

"As soon as the signs come in, they go out," said Nicole Williams, spokeswoman for the Kerry campaign in Cleveland's Cuyahoga County.

The Kerry-Edwards campaign has given away "well over 100,000" signs in Ohio so far this year, said Brendon Cull, spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Coordinated Campaign.

The Bush-Cheney crew has given away 200,000 signs, compared to 60,000 in 2000, said Kevin Madden, spokesman for the campaign in Ohio.

"People are excited to show their support for the president and that is being reflected in the demand for signs," he said.

State Senate Minority Leader Greg DiDonato, also the Democratic party chair in Tuscarawas County in eastern Ohio, said he's never seen so many signs get snatched up so quickly.

"We've literally had 1,500 signs go out in this county, and we didn't have to pick up the phone," he said.

The Franklin County Republican Party in Columbus has given out 1,200 Bush-Cheney signs so far, said spokesman Jarrod Weiss.

The excitement over campaign signs has kept some local officials busy enforcing laws about how and where signs can be displayed.

In the northeast Ohio lake town of Conneaut, officials confiscated local campaign signs they said were too close to roads and threatened the view of drivers and pedestrians.

"It's strictly a safety issue," Conneaut's zoning inspector William Johnston told Ashtabula's Star Beacon.