Petition Campaigns
Getting students to sign petitions is a great way to get them educated about the issue and involved. They have taken a first step! You can do this by tabling or canvassing. You can also try to get campus groups or organizations to sign on to your petition for clean elections as well as individuals by speaking at their group meetings. Separate your individual from group signers when you send in the petitions or write about them in the school paper.
- The process of getting people to sign the petition is just as important as getting the signature. This is a learning moment!! You want to educate people about the issue and then ask for their signature. Given the dynamics of petitions, you need to have a clear and crisp message to deliver. See Petitions.
- You want to leave something behind with everybody who signs your petition. Have a flyer or newsletter to hand out. Or copy a good newspaper article and hand it out. We can provide you with samples done by other campuses. Consider giving everybody who signs the petition a flyer and a Democracy Matters button.
- You can mail or hand-deliver the petition. This is a great way to try to get a meeting with your legislators or with their staff people. Even if you cannot meet with them, call and tell them the petitions are coming and talk with them about the issue.
- It is important to be sure that people write legibly. You should watch to make sure there is a signature but also a printed name and an email address, when you can get it, from the individual. This helps us build our Democracy Matters contact list for your campus.
- Use your school name on all the petitions.
- Another version of this is having people sign a GIANT poster or sheet that can be placed somewhere with lots of foot traffic.