How to Draw Up a Legal Petition TUTORIAL

How to Start a Petition That Will Make the Correct Affect

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Last updated: November 20, 2021

Learning how to start a petition to influence a local determination is much simpler than y'all might imagine. All you lot need to practice is condense your wording so that you describe the major point. Outset your petition writing with the words "We the undersigned." Then complete the judgement with your main indicate in ideally 5 to x words.

Recall that your purpose in petition writing is either to demonstrate that you have an impressive number of people behind you or to raise a new upshot. Y'all  are not writing a research paper, and often yous are not even citing your arguments or statistics. You are advancing a statement based on values in order to gain a platform in which y'all can speak to facts and your reasoning in detail.

Petition writing is not time-consuming or especially demanding. But you will be virtually effective if yous tailor your petition drive to the seven "exercise's" and v "don'ts" below.

When you consider how to kickoff a petition, don't be too creative. Stay with a format that determination makers volition recognize instantly. For case, you lot might write, "We the undersigned oppose the zoning proposal of ABC Corporation at 123 Primary Street."

If your drive is primarily the projection of one well-respected organization, you lot should include that fact.  For example you might brainstorm with a statement such equally, "We the undersigned members and friends of the West Side Neighborhood Clan respectfully request that you consider our position against the multi-family unit zoning proposal at 123 Main Street." By the way, if your organization is quite controversial, consider leaving its proper name off of the petition itself. Your members tin can still sign as individuals.


A title for your petition is optional.  If yous write one, go along information technology very brief.  If you cannot recall of what to write, simply let your petition speak for itself, just as a letter to a friend does not typically have a championship or a subject line.  But on each folio, repeat either the title, the outset paragraph, or a phrase about the subject thing.

Many people arriving at this site are searching for information on writing a legal petition. In add-on to post-obit the tips on this page about a petition aimed at just reflecting public opinion, if you are creating a petition that has to conform to legal rules, exist very articulate on the pertinent law.  Accept an attorney draft the legal petition if you are not absolutely sure what is required. An attorney in your neighborhood may be willing to do this piece of work complimentary (called "pro bono" piece of work) if it is not very time-consuming.

On this site we are concentrating on drives that are intended to influence decision makers, but not to force an action in a legal sense. If yous as well are only trying to persuade or enhance a new result, you definitely exercise not demand an attorney to draft your petition.

Beneath are some ground rules for what to say later on your opening sentence.   If y'all are bringing upward a complex topic that is not on the firsthand agenda of the board of selectmen, city council, or other group you are petitioning, understand that several sentences may exist needed to express your point of view.

Incidentally, we call back hand-signed petitions still conduct far more weight than electronically circulated and signed documents. This is especially true in neighborhoods, small towns and cities, and rural areas, where the personal bear upon is everything. Determination makers realize that standing or walking around looking for people who want to sign your petition requires much more free energy than pushing a few buttons on your computer.

If an electronic petition is your only pick because you don't have volunteers who have time to circulate the petition, information technology will be better than nothing, peculiarly where the population trends toward young people and a high level of technology utilise. Simply exist aware that part of the reason that petitions still influence some people is that the effort required commands their respect. At this fourth dimension nosotros nevertheless suggest that you print a copy of your electronic petition for presentation in person.

During the pandemic, the electronically circulated petition is sometimes your only option. But where outdoor drove of signatures is possible, fifty-fifty if that ways going door-to-door with the person circulating the petition staying outdoors, choose that option. There's something near the infinite diverseness of handwriting that lends an air of credibility to the process.

Tips on How to Start a Petition

Below are the things that we recommend yous should Practice.

1. Explain your topic and point of view but as briefly as possible. Remember that yous take ii audiences for a petition: (a) a prospective signer, and (b) a busy distracted decision maker. If the item is already in the public heart, simply state which side of the contend you lot prefer or what process you request.  As y'all larn how to start a petition, you will discover that for some topics, only ane long sentence, or two or 3 short ones, will exist sufficient.

2. If you are opposing or supporting a current agenda item (whether on a formal written agenda or not), after you have stated your position, list your two to four best arguments, again in the briefest language possible.

Y'all will gather fewer signatures if people experience they are being asked to sign something they don't desire to take time to read.

Elected officials, particularly those who already have taken an opposite stance, don't need or appreciate a long statement at the beginning of a petition. For the receiving officials, it'south usually all about who signed or didn't sign!

three. Subsequently this, simply place blanks on the folio for the name and address of each signer. Be certain to number each line; one of the principal points of a successful petition drive is the number of valid signatures collected.  If y'all wish, yous can have people both sign and print their names. Information technology's astonishing how illegible some signatures are.

Of form, if you're following a legal petition process, include any information required past police force for the petition to exist valid (examples would exist mailing address, precinct number, and then forth), and make certain that those who sign include all data needed. Many petitions crave a check marking for whether the person is a registered voter.

four. Make any arguments that you add to the petition sound every bit rational and reasonable as possible. If your purpose is to make an emotional plea, make a video instead. A petition is by nature a formal-looking document, so keep it responsible-sounding and business-like.  If you can't, try a different tactic.

5. Go on information technology short. We did say that already, but it bears repeating.  I good paragraph is the best advice on how to start a petition, unless you're trying to bring a new topic to public lite.  Anything more than three paragraphs is way too long, even if you are raising a brand new issue that conclusion makers have non been discussing and may not understand very well.

Let'south add another reason to remain brief—the more you say, the more than probable you are to irritate a potential signer or decision maker with a minor bespeak that actually is non central to the argument you are making in your petition.

vi. Slant the wording to appeal to the interests of the person or persons who will be receiving the petition. If you are students wondering about how to start a petition to the principal, think like a principal for a infinitesimal.

If you lot are a neighborhood and you want the metropolis quango to give you more money for your community project, what would convince you lot if you were a fellow member of that council? Are you feeling that coin is tight, or are you lot feeling skilful almost the financial position of the city? Word your masterpiece accordingly.

7. Consider arranging for an impact-enhancing club of the signatures, specially in a smaller town.  Sign your ain name first, since people don't like to be the get-go to sign.  Afterward that, though, if you lot look to take signatures from people who are influential with your target audience signing your petition, encounter if you can have their signatures nigh the top.  Elected officials are busy people as well, and then they may non read every unmarried signature.  They will look at the number of total signatures, just in smaller places, they will be affected past who signed, besides as how many.

At present nosotros will cover some things that we recommend that you NOT do.

1. Do not give a consummate history of the upshot, unless yous feel that is essential for decision makers to empathise your point. If you experience y'all need to write a lot to educate possible signers, call back well-nigh whether it is possible to teach your points verbally when you present the petition in a meeting.  Nonetheless, if you lot will be intercepting shoppers or people on a sidewalk to seek signatures, you may want to retrieve through whether a petition is actually the right tactic if your result volition require all-encompassing explanation in gild to obtain a signature.

2. Inflammatory, exaggerated, or all-or-nada linguistic communication in a petition is not productive. Statements about everyone knowing something or everybody voting confronting the incumbents if they don't practise what you want volition only enhance defenses. Proper name calling, abusive language, and overly emotional pleas don't inspire respect. Of course you want firm and forceful linguistic communication, just pattern yourselves after a business organisation letter and not a bluster on social media.

3. Practice not make threats. The petition should evidence solidarity in the community or neighborhood, but it's not the place to explain the consequences of bad behavior to the people on whose vote you depend.

4. Do not narrow down your pool of potential signers by existence also specific. For example, if your grouping wishes to oppose a rezoning, merely there are two or more reasons floating around, exercise not unnecessarily limit your pool of signers by including only 1 reason. But include both as arguments, unless a detail indicate is controversial with your possible signers.

5. Exercise not play games by asking residents of other communities or minors to sign your petition. If an official spots just one instance of appearing to pad the number of signatures, y'all lose your reward.

Summary of Writing and Circulating a Petition

Think that learning how to get-go a petition is valuable for a neighborhood or customs activist, even if y'all are brand new in that part today. Seriously, information technology is like shooting fish in a barrel.

Clear, direct, respectful language expressing your chief idea in one paragraph, or upwards to three paragraphs if you are raising a brand new result, is how to start a petition. You can practise information technology.

To circulate your new masterpiece, I recommend that you lot find reliable people to mitt carry information technology around the neighborhood. Be sure to visit coffee houses or whatsoever other pop hangouts. School, civic, and children'southward sports events may nowadays the opportunity to get together more signatures with less work. If y'all have a block captain or block unit system, use it. Information technology may be tempting to use loftier school students or some other ready puddle of labor, but consider whether your carriers can react appropriately to challenges and questions.

Print a few copies and have an appropriate number of people start the petition, rather than trying to have i person take hold of upward with everyone. Decision makers will overlook blank lines at the end of unfilled petition forms. In fact, the implication that yous had several or many people willing to broadcast this certificate may be impressive in itself.

Give each person distributing the petition a deadline for returning it, and make certain directions for returning it are articulate and easy.  Don't let petitions straggle in the evening of the coming together for two good reasons:  (1) if you lot do that, you risk appearing disorganized, which is the reverse of the impression you are trying to create, and (2) last-minute or on-the-spot collection of all the petitions means yous will not accept time to cross out whatever duplicates or unqualified signers that you lot run into.  Taking care to present only a list of appropriate signatures will help give your cause credibility.

Check Out This Farther Reading That May Be Related to Your Petition

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How to Draw Up a Legal Petition TUTORIAL

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