Altogether, 30 are coming down, following complaints from civil rights groups and voting rights advocates. As with other cities where the advertisements appeared, critics said the timing and placement of the signs in largely poor, minority areas amounted to voter intimidation.
The display featured a large gavel and listed the consequences of voter fraud as a $10,000 fine and three and a half years in prison.
Norton Outdoor Advertising sold the Cincinnati billboards to the same anonymous buyer that purchased 145 identical signs from Clear Channel Outdoor, for display in Cleveland, Columbus, and Milwaukee.
On its Facebook page, Norton Outdoor says neither intimidation nor suppression were the intention of the buyer, or of the company.
The statement goes on to say that the "VOTER FRAUD" billboards will come down as soon as possible.
Neither Clear Channel or Norton Advertising have plans to identify the buyer. It was only identified on the billboards as a “private family foundation.”