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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- A Swastika-type symbol has been spray-painted on a 15 square-foot campaign sign for 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

The white sign sits on Airport Road just west of Powers Boulevard in Colorado Springs and has "Romney" in black bold letters with "Colorado" underneath.

A red Swastika was painted over the sign, though the vandal did not draw it correctly, as two of the four "arms" of the symbol are facing the wrong way.

The symbol is widely used in Indian religions to mean "to be good" but perhaps is best-known as a symbol adopted by the Nazi movement under Adolf Hitler.

It is unclear exactly when the sign was defaced.

According to El Paso County Elections officials, it is only illegal to damage or deface political signs 45 days before the election or sooner, and up to four days after if the sign is on public property in Colorado. Election day is Nov. 6, meaning there are still 55 days to go as of Thursday, and spray painting a sign is not illegal yet.

Defacing political signs for the Nov. 6 election becomes illegal Sept. 23. However, Colorado Springs Police officers said vandalism and trespassing charges could still apply depending on the situation. Officers also said it could also be considered a hate crime.

The sign is about five feet wide by three feet tall and is nailed to several posts in the ground. Elections officials said a permit is needed to put a private sign on a public right of way such as Airport Road, but they couldn't immediately say whether or not the sign's owner had a valid permit.

El Paso County is a traditionally conservative voting county. Almost 60 percent of the county's voters chose Republican candidate John McCain in the 2008 Presidential election.