How to Start a Local Petition

Generate an effective title. The first thing people will see and hear is the title of your petition. If you use something that attracts attention, you can get more people to stop and agree to sign. Keep your title brief and use strong verbs that tell people what you want to do.^[1]

• Some examples of powerful petition titles are, "Stop Torturing Chickens for McNuggets" or "Donate Recalled Cheerios to Those in Need."

State your position clearly and emphatically. You need a few statements that clearly explain what you want to change in your community. People who sign it and the leaders who will receive it need to understand exactly what you want. You may begin, for example, with a clear statement like, “We, the undersigned petitioners, believe that Smallville needs a separate park where dog owners can allow their pets to run freely. We call on the City Council to identify a location and provide fencing for such a park.”^[2]

State the reasoning for your position. You need to give the community leaders a reason for what you want. A long list of signatures is powerful, but strong reasoning can be even more persuasive. If you have any research or examples of other communities that have taken similar action, provide this information.^[3]

• You may say something like, “Several surrounding communities, including Gotham, Silver City, and Old York have created dog parks within the past two years.”
• You might also include persuasive statistics or data, such as, “Communities that have created designated dog parks have seen a 10% decrease in incidents of dog bites.”

Find out if a specific form is required. Some jurisdictions will only accept petitions on an official form. Others will accept any format. You should check with your city clerk or other similar official to find out what is required. If you must use a specific form, ask where you can get it and find out if you are allowed to make photocopies or if you must use only original forms.

Know your community’s rules for presenting a petition. If you only want to present a petition that states opinions, you probably have fewer requirements to follow. But if you are using a petition drive as a way to force a ballot question, for example, you probably have to abide by certain strict requirements. Some of these requirements may include:^[4]

• The minimum number of signatures you need for the petition to be valid.
• The use of specific forms or petition sheets.
• Whether you need printed names along with signatures.
• Whether you must include addresses for each signer, or any other information, and whether signers must live within a certain geographical location.
• Deadlines for submitting the petitions to be considered on an upcoming ballot.

Investigate online petition templates. If you search online for "create petition," you will find a variety of free petition services. Some of these provide templates that you can use to draft and print your own petition forms. Some of them actually help you set up your own online petition drive. (You will need to verify that an online petition will be accepted before using this format.)^[5]

Determine your goals for gathering signatures. Based on your local rules for petition drives and the size of your community, you will need to establish goals and expectations for gathering names. As a general rule, you should aim to collect up to 50% more names than the minimum requirement.^[6]

Get plenty of volunteers to help collect signatures. You cannot expect to conduct a successful petition drive on your own. Determine the number of signatures that you need, and then calculate a reasonable number for each person to collect. Using these figures, you can decide how many volunteers you will need for the petition drive.^[7]

• For example, suppose you decide that you want 5,000 signatures for a successful petition drive. A single volunteer might be expected to bring in 500 signatures over the length of your petition drive. This means that you should get at least ten people to help collect signatures.

Give your volunteers the training and materials they will need. Each volunteer will need several copies of the official petition sheet, sufficient numbers of pens to collect signatures, and clipboards. You may also want to set up information stations around town with promotional materials as well. Discuss the cause fully with all your volunteers, to ensure that they all fully understand the issue and are ready to discuss it when they ask people to sign the petition.^[8]

Be organized. Your volunteers should not approach the same people repeatedly to gather signatures. Organize the signature drive by giving volunteers assigned locations. These may be fixed stations, such as a table outside the grocery store or train station. You may also assign people to particular streets or neighborhoods to visit door-to-door. It is also a good idea to arrange common times for collecting signatures.^[9]

Produce the final product. Collect the completed petitions and deliver them to the appropriate government office. When your petition drive is complete, find out where you need to send the petitions, and have them delivered. If you do not know, you should probably begin by contacting the city clerk’s office for information.^[10]

• If your petition is directed to a particular department of your local government, you may be directed to deliver your final copies directly to that department.

Use the Internet and social media. If a member of your group is particularly adept at using social media, you may be able to create an online petition. This would serve to bring wider attention to your issue. It also can reach many people much more quickly than physical contact with volunteers.^[11]

• For example, Facebook provides useful materials about creating and marketing an online petition. It provides links to features that help you create a petition, share it with a wide audience, and collect e-signatures without ever having to speak directly with anyone.

Understand the acceptance of e-signatures. Depending on the breadth of your audience and the topic of your petition, an online petition may not be useful. You should check with your local government leaders to find out if they will accept virtual e-signatures from an online petition.