Election season in the District always brings with it accusations of campaign sign mischief. In a twist on the usual controversies over signs, though, independent D.C. Council at-large candidate Eric Jones is complaining about signs that are being put on his signs.

Yesterday, Jones supporters found their street signs around 8th and H streets NE had received an unwelcome addition: a sticker, purporting to be from the Statehood Green Party, that warned readers about “Democrats in Independents’ Clothing.” The stickers, which feature a little burglar clutching bags of money, urge voters to “vote for your conscience” lest they vote for “#fauxdems.”

That’s apparently a reference to Jones ditching his Democratic party registration to become an independent, a move that enables him—-along with a lot of other newly minted independents in the field—-to compete for the Council seat reserved for non-Democrats.

LL’s not sure how damaging it is to tell voters in a city with 75 percent Democratic voter rolls that a candidate used to be a Democrat. Still, Jones says he’s angry to discover the stickers, and will likely have to cut down some of the signs to replace them.

“We haven’t bothered anyone’s signs,” Jones says.

Statehood Green candidate Eugene Puryear, who’s competing with Jones for the minority party seat, says he’s not behind the stickers. Still, he has seen them handed out at events.

“This is definitely something we don’t agree with,” Puryear says.

The stickers purport to be from “your friends at the Statehood Green Party,” which didn’t respond to LL’s request for comment.

Photo courtesy Eugene Puryear