Write a Petition

Is there something in your community, county, or nation that you want to see changed? Create a petition. Petitions can reshape the world if carefully thought out and written properly. You may already have a cause or strategy in mind, but here are some simple tips to help you write an unbeatable petition.

Steps

Petition Help

Doc:Petition,Petition Template

Researching Your Cause

  1. Verify that a cause for petition falls under your local government’s jurisdiction. Contact the administrative office of your local government or check out your local government website. You might need to petition on a county or state level. Have the office direct you to the department that handles matters related to your cause. Then request petition guidelines.
  2. Find out how many signatures you need. This is very important. It would be horrible to set a goal of 1,000 signatures, reach it, and then realize you need 2,000. Also look up whether or not your petition needs approval before being circulated.
  3. Learn how people must sign the petition for it to be valid. If you are trying to get a candidate's name added to the ballot, and the law says you must show an address for each name, ask your signers for this information.
  4. Research your topic so you understand the various positions fully. Researching your topic is also a good way to find out if someone has already started a petition about it.
  5. Consider which medium for circulating your petition is ideal. Regardless of your choice, you will still need to write the petition properly. (See below for more advice on this.) Paper petitions can be more effective for local petitions, but online petitions can reach broader networks much faster. Consider sites like ipetitions.com, Petitions24.com, or GoPetition.com, which offer a higher level of accountability than some competing petition sites. Facebook Causes can also be a great, accountable way to collect a large amount of online support for an issue. The details matter just as much for online petitions as for paper ones.
    • If your cause requires people to take action and not just agree to a position, consider collective action alternatives to petitions. For example, you could start a campaign on an online forum like The Point. Online forums and similar sites gather support in the same way a petition does, but they are centered around eventually taking an action to force a change---not just passively asking for it.

Writing the Petition

  1. Develop a very specific statement that identifies what you want people to support. It should be precise, concise, and informative.
    • Weak: We support more funding for a park. This sentence is far too general. What kind of park? How much funding?
    • Strong: We demand that the Commissioners of Nature County allocate funds for a new park in the Adventure District. The precise details are clearly written in this sentence.
  2. Make your petition brief. People will be less likely to support you if they have to spend a great deal of time reading what you have to say. No matter how long your petition is, you must put your specific goal at the very beginning of the first paragraph. Then follow it up with your reason(s) for petitioning. This will be the paragraph that most people read.
    • Example of the first paragraph of a petition: We demand that the Commissioners of Nature County allocate funds for a new park in the Adventure District. This district does not have any parks. Our children need to have a place where they can experience nature and play outdoors.
  3. Add body paragraphs supporting your first, declarative paragraph. These paragraphs should contain information and specific examples showing the importance of what you are fighting for. Write as many body paragraphs as you like, but just be aware that most people you speak with on the street will not read all of them.
  4. Read over your summary carefully. Make sure it (1) describes the situation, (2) suggests what is needed, and (3) explains why it is needed. Is it clear? If you did not know about the situation, would you understand it by reading your petition?
  5. Edit your petition for spelling and grammar errors. If errors litter your petition, it is very unlikely you will be taken seriously. Use spell check and proofread your petition for obvious mistakes. Read it out loud to determine whether or not it flows and makes sense.
  6. Get someone else to read your petition, preferably a friend or relative who is uninformed about the situation. Does the person understand your goal? Can they tell why you're petitioning, what you're demanding, and why you're demanding it?

Creating the Signer’s Form

  1. Create a signer’s form on a separate sheet of paper. Put the petition title on top. Your petition title should be concise but descriptive.
    • Example of petition title: Petition for New Park for Adventure District
  2. Prepare the form using a spreadsheet program. It will look much more professional and will be easier to change if need be. (See the sample template at the top of this page.) Divide the page into five columns labeled Name, Address, E-mail Address, Phone Number, and Signature. (In some cases and in some states, you may have to add a column for Voter Registration Number.) Allow plenty of room for the Address column. Add ten to 20 lines per page.
    • If you do not have a computer or a spreadsheet program, go to your local library, where a librarian or volunteer can help you use the library computers to make your petition. If this is not practical, use a ruler to divide a sheet of 8.5" x 11" or A4 paper into the five (or six) columns listed in the paragraph just above and follow the rest of the directions there.
  3. Photocopy or print multiple copies of your original. Make enough pages for the number of signatures you need. Number the pages so you can keep better track of them and the signatures you have. You may also want signature gatherers to initial the pages they have used or overseen so you can ask them any questions about what is written on a particular page. Initialing pages also increases overall accountability.

Promoting Your Petition

  1. Talk to people in person. Go where you can speak with large numbers of people concerned about the issue or open to information about it. Maybe the public needs to know about your petition, if so, write a speech. Go to the public place where the people you want to inform will be to listen. Make sure you have the permission first thing. If your petition is about a school, speak to people at or near the school. Spread the word about your petition through your office. Hang posters on community bulletin boards about your cause.
  2. Use the power of e-mail. Create an online version of your petition and send it to your family, friends, and acquaintances. Try not to flood them with e-mails, though---sending an e-mail every day for a month will not get you the results you want. Instead, follow up a first round of petitions with two or three reminders over the period when you are petitioning.
  3. Create an online presence for your petition. Create a blog or online forum where you can discuss your petition and answer the questions of potential signers. Media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are great ways to get the word out and could help make a movement large enough to get a nationwide following . Good websites make it simple. They also notify the people you made your petition about when people sign it so they know what people think.
  4. Get media coverage. Contact local media about your cause; try for a local radio station or newspaper first. As your petition gains momentum, so will the coverage.
  5. Be polite. Nobody trying to get to work on time likes an angry petitioner in their face. Even if someone believes in your cause, they might not have the time or funds to support you at the moment. Don't take it personally! It's always better to be polite---they may contact you or help fund your cause when they have the time and resources.

Tips

  • Clip your petition to a clipboard with a pen attached to it. Sometimes there is no convenient surface for writing and signing a petition; sometimes a potential signer won't have a pen. So have the clipboard and an extra pen or two!
  • Keep your paper clean and unwrinkled. Your petition will look less professional if it is dirty and dog-eared.
  • Always make sure to say "Thank you" after receiving a signature, it is respectful and shows maturity.
  • Always ask politely, because who would want to sign a Petition for someone rude.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  • Start a Local Petition
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