TIPS FOR PETITIONING
Location
Choose a location in a public area, such as outside a public library or post office, or an official
polling place on Election Day, or the sidewalks, where there is a steady enough stream of traffic to
make your efforts worthwhile. Petitioning at festivals and events is especially effective, but tabling
fees and rules may apply. Get permission if you are in a commercial area. Some local bookstores and
groceries will let you table outside their doors, but shopping centers seldom allow anything political.
Petitioning door-to-door is less time efficient, but can also be done.
Forms
Anyone may gather petition signatures, but only registered North Carolina voters may sign the
petition. Since the petition forms are submitted to county boards of election for verification, separate
petition forms must be used for each county, with the county name filled in at the top. It’s a good idea
to carry several blank forms with you, since you will probably run into signers from other counties
wherever you are.
Petition forms can be downloaded from the NCGP website and copied as needed. Be sure to use the
latest posted form, not old forms from a few years ago, since the current petitioning campaign has to
use forms approved for it by the state board of elections. You should also carry a few voter
registration forms for those who haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Getting signatures
It is a good idea to approach people with the question “Are you registered to vote in North
Carolina?” which starts out on a positive note as most people will say yes, and it weeds out the ones
who can’t sign. They will then try to walk away, since they think you are doing voter registration, so
you need to follow up quickly with “Then you can sign our petition. What county are you registered
in?” so you can start to present the page while you explain the purpose of the petition – trying to get
the Green Party recognized as a political party in NC, trying to get the Green Party on the ballot.
Be ready with a brief description of what the GP stands for, since many people have still not heard
of us. Having a brochure to hand out is helpful, or an explanation of the ten key values. Point out that
more choices mean more democracy, and assure them that signing will not put them on a mailing list.
Be sure that their handwriting is legible, since it will be thrown out if the BOE can’t read it easily.
They should print until they get to the signature at the end. Make sure they know that the date is
their birth date, which the BOE uses as identification, not today’s date. The address should match
their voter registration – if they’re still registered at an old address, they should use that one.
If they’re not sure if they’ve signed before, get them to sign anyway - only one of their signatures
will count. If they are not registered and would like to register, give them a registration form and get
them to sign - offer to send the form in for them if they fill it out now. If they mess up, best to cross
out and start fresh on a new line.
Having more than one person in the same location is a good idea. It is helpful if one of the team
members is knowledgeable about local politics and the party, so they can get into longer discussions
with people who want to chat. If it’s just you, it can really cut into your signature gathering time to
have these debates or schmoozes, but it is good outreach to answer people’s questions and generally
be sociable.
Sending in your forms
After petitioning at an event, or at monthly intervals if you are gathering informally, send your
completed forms to your local co-chair, or submit them to your county Board of Elections for
verification. Before sending them along, please make copies of all your completed forms, sign and
date them, and mail them to Jan Martell, 703 Cleveland St., Durham NC 27701.
Thank you for your effort! Every little bit helps!
If you have any questions, call Jan Martell at 919-682-2472 or 919-286-2056.