Constitution Party of VA

How To Circulate Petitions

You do not have to see any kind of proof of voter registration, just ask if they are registered. YOU may NOT sign your own petition (sign one that a friend is circulating and they can sign yours).

Places to collect: Busy gas stations and restaurant parking lots (on Friday nights there is often a line outside some of the popular places) are good. Church is great if the pastor will allow it. A shopping center parking lot is good. Any place where there is a lot of foot traffic, especially if it is public property. Door to door is very, very hard and the payoff not as good. You may be asked to leave. If it's private property, politely move on. If it's public property, you could ask for a supervisor and to see the regulation that prohibits you from petitioning on public property. Report any evictions from PUBLIC property to me (place, address, date, supervisor's name).

It is VERY IMPORTANT, especially outside of Northern VA, that you be polite and talk slow. We have had petitioners literally run out of town because they talk too fast. Your goal is NOT to get people to support CP. You don't want to talk about it (talk as little as possible), the petition does not imply support for a candidate it just gets us on the ballot. If you are talking, or worse, debating, then you are not getting signatures. Offer to talk to someone later and write down their contact info separately, then politely get back to work.

A sample script that has been found to be very effective (and really the only thing that works) outside of Northern VA ... remember, you must talk slowly, and avoid a lot of direct eye contact when first talking to the person. Very low key, not aggressive at all. I am not knocking the rural areas, this is just the way it is.

YOU: Sir/ Ma'am, will you please sign my petition?
THEM: What's it for?
YOU: To get the Constitution Party on the ballot in November.
THEM: OK, I'll sign it.
YOU: Are you a registered voter?
THEM: Yes -- or I think so (give them petition)
No -- (thank them very much for their time)

When they finish signing (SSN is optional, last 4 digits is helpful if they don't want to provide the whole thing; point to where they sign and say Signature goes here, Printed Name here, Address here), make sure you THANK THEM and wish them a nice day.

Very polite. No arguing. No pressure. Have several clipboards with pens attached ready to go. Don't make them wait or inconvenience them beyond the absolute minimum.

Below are some more detailed guidelines to reinforce your effort if you care to read it (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU READ SEVERAL TIMES).

1. Choose a high traffic location. Location determines success or failure.

2. Good locations include grocery stores, the Department of Motor Vehicles, Walmart, K-Mart, the Post Office, state fairs, rodeos, sports events, subway and other transit stations, and airports. Shopping malls may be good locations. However, their security may quickly kick you out, in that case by working in the parking lot you may escape notice for some time.

3. Some people prefer not to ask permission of the store that they are petitioning in front of. In this case it is better not to work right in the doorway of the store. Instead work in the parking lot, approaching people as they come and go. If the manager comes out, then explain what you are doing and get permission to continue. Other people prefer to ask permission ahead of time. In this case you may want to stand near the entrance of the store, post office, etc. or even set up a table.

4. The level of traffic at a given area may vary depending on the time of day. If you are not getting around 15 signatures an hour move to a new location. (Analyze your technique first so as to be sure it is the location that is causing the low signature per hour count.) When all circumstances, the weather, traffic etc. are favorable you may get as many as 30 signatures per hour or more. But don't waste too much time switching locations if you are getting about 15 per hour. As it is, finding the right location or finding a new one after one hasn't worked out, possibly because you've been told to leave, takes up plenty of time.

5. In some cases the manager on duty at the time will refuse to allow you to petition. If you have other good locations available to you move on to them. If there is a shortage of good locations in your town you may want to appeal to a higher level of authority. But don't waste too much time on this.

6. There is no faster way to collect signatures than to find a high traffic area and put in the hours.

7. Some days and times of day are better than others for getting a high signature per hour count. Monday and Friday are especially good days at the post office and the Division of Motor Vehicles. Friday early evening and Saturday are good at the grocery store. Lunch hour is excellent. The evenings, sometimes the quite late evenings, can be a very good time both from the point of view of traffic and from the approachability of the public.

8. But do not hesitate to carry a petition everywhere you go. Get signatures after church, at meetings, at check-out counters, gas stations, school functions, work, little league games, other sports events etc. etc.

9. State and county fairs are also an excellent opportunity to petition. In some less populated states they may be indispensable. Be aware that fair policy may not allow you to petition unless you pay for a booth. If you do get a booth, don't stay in it. Get out in front and approach people. Be cheerful.

TECHNIQUE

1. The less time spent with each prospective signer the better. Try to limit yourself to only a few minutes.

2. Don't try to sell the party to potential signers—it takes too much time. Just ask them to sign the petition. Carry some information brochures to give to a very select few who would like more information on the party. Have the brochure list a phone number that can be called for additional information and move on to your next potential signer. Or you could print business cards with the CP web address (www.constitutionparty.com) and phone number (1-800-2-VETO-IRS). Or just write down their name and number/email and tell them you'll get back to them.

3. Use terms such as "equal access", "fairness", "no obligation", and "not an endorsement".

4. Approach the signers, don't wait for them to approach you. Be polite, straight forward, and cheerfully aggressive. Ask and you may receive. If you don't ask, you will almost certainly not receive.

STEPS TO FOLLOW

1. Use the script above to talk to people as they approach. Explain, if necessary, that all the signature would do is allow another party/candidate to be represented on the ballot and that it in no way implies any kind of support or commitment to the party.

2. Point to where they should sign. Say, while pointing, "sign here, print name here, residence address goes here, please include city and zip code." This dramatically increases the number of signatures that pass the state verification process. Also if one person fills in the petition incorrectly, it is more than likely that those signing after him will follow his example. Watch them sign the petition.

3. Try to elicit an answer as quickly as possible without seeming impolite. If the person refuses do not persist, but quickly move on.

4. Be cheerful.

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Send petitions to me weekly after the whole form is complete and notarized. I know this is an extra burden, but if I haven't SEEN a petition form, then it doesn't exist. We're not impugning anyone's honesty, but we could give you stories all day about people who said they had so many signatures and then when it came time to produce the forms did not have them, or they were done wrong, etc. SEND THEM IN AT LEAST WEEKLY!