Peace Action West

Gathering petition signatures can be a fun and simple way to take your activism a step further. The below tips are great for petition gathering, and some of them are key to any kind of organizing.

What to say

1. The 'Hook.' Grab a pen and paper and come up with 3-5 short, snappy one-sentence 'hooks' to grab people's attention. The idea is to ask a question that would 1) serve as an opening to a conversation, 2) convey the essence of an issue, and 3) let folks know that supporting your cause is really easy.

Here are a couple examples:

"Hi there, can you sign a petition for a nuclear weapons free world?"

"Do you have a minute to oppose nuclear weapons?"

"Have a minute? I have a petition to create a nuclear weapons free world."

If you're doing a petition to a specific member of Congress, try to only have voters living in the appropriate district sign the petition. Generally, members of Congress only respond to voters from their district. You will use your time more efficiently if you try to weed out people who aren't eligible to sign.

For example, if you are circulating the petition to Rep. Pelosi of San Francisco on nuclear weapons you could say:

"San Francisco voters: sign here for a nuclear weapons free world."

"Is Rep. Pelosi your member of Congress? Show her you want a nuclear weapons free world."

Come up with a bunch and experiment with which ones work best. See if humor works.

2. Cater your message to your audience. What worked great at a peace march may not fly at a Fourth of July parade. 

3. Check out our talking points here. They'll be helpful when folks ask you questions.

Make it fun

Sure, some people will say 'no,' or they'll walk right by you, or they'll try and pull you into a debate about how wrong you are. Here are some tips on how to find the right people and come away from the experience with a strong sense of accomplishment.

1. Bring a friend! It can be really fun to work together and develop a 'routine.' Or you can play some fun games:

• See who can get the most people to laugh while they sign the petition.
  
• Give each other a silly phrase ("Heaven's to Betsy!") that you have to work into conversation with people.
  
• Make it fun by wearing a costume or a funny hat.

2. Enjoy humanity. You can bet that while doing this, you will meet some pretty great people along the way.

3. If you hit a losing streak. Remember, the folks who ended segregation and expanded voting rights built their cause partly by using tactics like these. Isn't that inspiring?

4. How to fill out the petition. At a minimum, people should give their name and address so that the member of Congress or presidential candidate can respond to their concerns or verify that they are a voter. People who check the volunteer box will be contacted about helping to circulate the petition. 

What to bring. You don't need much,  just:

• Clipboards: If you don't have one, you can make one out of sturdy cardboard and use big rubber bands to hold your petitions in place.
  
• Pens
  
• Friends
  
• Comfy shoes
  
• And of course, lots of petitions.
  

Location, Location, Location

• Casual gatherings
  
• The park
  
• The grocery store
• At work
• Farmer's markets
  
• Appropriately themed public gatherings (parades, rallies, outdoor concerts)
  
• The library
• Riding public transit
• Outside a movie that relates to the issue. (Any progressive politically themed movie can work.)