But don’t whine about it.  Go on the offensive.

Campaigns and Elections magazine offers these helpful tips:

Earning media from yard sign thieves

A Google News search for “yard signs” returns 39,000 news results in just the last month. Long story short, the media loves to report on yard signs—including sign theft and vandalism. When a supporter recounts their story of a stolen sign, ask if you can include information about the theft in a press release. Once the campaign has accumulated a few similar stories, issue a press release decrying the actions of your opponent’s supporters, and offer quotes from your supporters about the purported thefts. With any luck, you’ll get a sympathetic news story.

Sign theft and volunteerism

Angry supporters are ripe for a volunteer ask, and yard sign theft is a powerful source for supporter anger. When a supporter calls the field office to share their story and ask for another yard sign, you’re likely to get a “yes” from a volunteer ask because they’re motivated by anger and want to reciprocate. In addition, many campaigns successfully trade a sign for a volunteer shift, which also works well.

Turning sign theft into dollars

Using the same process as above, small dollar contributions in exchange for a yard sign are common, and upset supporters will be quick to open up their wallets for a few dollars to replace their sign for virtuous reasons and spite alike.

Ben Donahower is a contributing editor to the free guide, Get Out The Vote To Win, and a campaign veteran. You can connect with Ben on Twitter at @iapprovethismsg.

A simple way to solve that, and get your campaign rolling at the same time is to collect signatures door to door by working off a registered voter list.  That way everyone who signs can quickly be verified as a registered voter and eligible signer.

How do you do it?

1) Contact the proper voter registration office and purchase the full voter registration list.  You’re going to need it anyway.  In many cases you must file a statement of candidacy first, so get that out of the way too.

2) Your best bet is voters who are Libertarians and those registered with, or vote in the primary of, the party opposite the incumbent.  Just tell them, “My name is _________ and I will be running as a Libertarian against (Republican/Democrat) _________.”

3) When you turn in your signatures, you can now also include a direct list of each signer, in order, with their verified voter registration.  That makes it harder for the government to disqualify your signers.

And not only does this let you work the kinks out of your door-to-door operation early, you can also ask these people if they’d like to volunteer or donate, and if they’d like a yard sign when they come in.

Not only can you lock up your ballot access early, you’ll be hitting the ground running with door-to-door practice and an early list of supporters.

Joe Garecht, writing for LocalVictory.com, lays out seven common mistakes candidates make.

Don’t fall into these traps:

1.  The Candidate as Campaign Manager

Many, many first time candidates make the mistake of trying to be the campaign manager and the candidate at the same time.  Don’t – it’s impossible.

The candidate’s job is to shake hands, kiss babies, and raise money.  The campaign manager (and the consultants, if there are any) are responsible for strategy and day to day operations.  Sure, the candidate should help formulate the broad strategy of the campaign, but he or she cannot play the candidate’s role and try to manage the nitty-gritty of campaign strategy and operations at the same time.  Find someone you trust to manage your campaign, and let the person do their job.

2.  It’s Too Early to Start

It’s never too early to start!  Many first-time candidates are leery of starting their campaigns too early, and try to wait until only a few months before the election to begin campaigning in earnest.  While there are some activities that you won’t want to start until close to the election, it is never too early to start campaigning, especially when challenging an incumbent.

3.  The Party Will Make Sure I Win

Don’t rely on the party (whether it is the national, state, county, or local party) to make sure you win.  Your success is in your own hands.  If the party comes through with money or help, great…it’s icing on the cake.  However, you can’t rely on receiving that help.  Make sure that your campaign takes responsibility for its own success.  Remember, if you lose, you’ll be out of business, but the party will still have it’s job – count on your own team to make sure you win.

4.  I Only Need $500 to Run This Race!

Most candidates, first-time or not, underestimate how much money it will take to win their election.  Speak with veteran politicians in your area or a qualified consultant to see how much it will take to win, and always add a little extra to your fundraising goal “just in case.”

5.  My Opponent Will be an Easy Target

Don’t make the mistake of underestimating your opponent.  If you’re challenging an incumbent, then you can be sure that he or she will have higher name recognition than you, and will most likely outspend you during the campaign.  If you are vying for an open seat, don’t think that your opponent will roll over and let you win.  Even if it seems like you are only facing “token” opposition, be sure to run the race as if your opponent is ahead in the polls – it’s the only way to guarantee that you won’t spend the day after Election Day saying “I wish we had tried harder.”

6.  I Don’t Need Professional Help

Candidates often eschew professional political help for the advice of family and friends, even if those folks have no political experience.  Don’t underestimate the value of political advice from a consultant or the help a qualified politico can give you when hired for your campaign staff.  Even the most local of campaigns have begun using consultants to help them win.

7.  There’s No Way I Can Win

While not as prevalent as “There’s no way I can lose,” there are a good number of candidates who run every year thinking “There’s no way I can win.”  My advice is that if you go into a race feeling like the campaign is a lost cause, you’re going to lose.  Your mindset becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Don’t run for office unless you are running to win.  Sure, you should be realistic about how tough the campaign is going to be, but don’t run with the idea that you’ll probably lose – because if you do, you probably will.