How to Collect Signatures on Nominating Petition for an Election

Maybe it's your first try for political office, or you want to help a candidate collect signatures on a nominating petition to get on the election ballot. Each election cycle prospective candidates are dropped from the ballot because of problems with their petitions. Here are some tips to avoid common mistakes.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Nominating petition forms
• Time
• Enthusiasm

1. 
    
   Nominating petition

   Obtain nominating petition forms and instructions from your county election office, or from your candidate's campaign committee or your party officials. Read the instructions carefully.

2. 
    
   Street list

   Obtain voter registration lists - also called street lists - for the ward, district, or municipality in which the candidate will be running. These lists may be obtained from the election office and usually list the voters according to the street address. They will indicate the political party in which the voter is enrolled.
   -Identify the friends and acquaintances that you will approach with the petition.
   -Use the lists to identify other voters you will approach. This will help you make most efficient use of your time, and will eliminate wasted time in stopping at homes where the voters are registered in the wrong party or not registered at all.

3. 
    
   Petition

   Have the caption filled in on the petition. This part includes information such as candidate's name, position sought, political party, etc. Now you are ready to begin gathering signatures. In order for the signature to be valid, be sure to follow the instructions:
   -Signer must be enrolled in the correct party
   -Signer must affix both printed and signed name
   -Signer's place of residence should be the physical address, not a post office box, and the residence must be within the appropriate ward, district, municipality or other jurisdiction
   -Date of the signing must be within the required time period for circulating the petitions
   -Ditto marks are not permitted
   The number of signatures needed will vary with the office sought. Make sure you have more than the minimum in case some are challenged as invalid. This is especially important when you are gathering signatures at group venues such as malls or other public areas. Some people may want to sign even though they don't qualify and you won't have time to question their party affiliation or residency.
   Mistakes such as wrong party, invalid address, etc. will cause the name to be stricken from the petition.

4. 
    
   Affidavit

   When you have finished collecting signatures have your affidavit as the circulator notarized. If you are the actual candidate you will have the candidate's affidavit notarized also. Turn the petition in to the campaign committee for filing with the election board, or file it yourself.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure signers are registered in the proper party and have a valid residence in the district
• Collect signatures only within the prescribed time period
• Make effective use of voter registration (street) lists
• Don't go door to door in strange neighborhoods alone.