–Who would keep the calendar, and the volunteer list, and would emailthe reminders? (One person in each community.)
–What resistance would we likely encounter, and how would we deal with it? (Don’t waste time arguing, have a FAQ sheet for sincere questions. But don’t pass stuff out– those who take lit, do not sign.)
–How many signatures a week, gathered by steady effort, establish that we are serious, and not wasting people’s time? (Goal plus cushion, divided by time allotted.)
–Where to go for allies? (Out-of-town caravans/ paid circulators/petitioners for initiatives, or candidates, as the “flip side” rubberbanded to the back of their primary petition.)
–Who keeps count, and what protocol prevents double-count? (No petition is added in until it is in hand.)
3. Then a core of us committed to overcoming our societal barriers, approaching strangers, smiling charmingly, and asking for a favor in the name of democracy. The line I found to be quick and persuasive
was: “Hi, would you sign our petition so that the Green Party can have our candidates’ names appear on the ballot, and YOU will have MORE CHOICES on ELECTION DAY.” Many signers were frowning their reluctance, until I got to the part about them and their choices. Working in pairs was best, but I set personal weekly goals, to get me out the door, even if nobody else could go on the night when folks
would be standing in line at the concert hall. I publicly thanked my colleagues, by name and numbers, every week, to keep our pace, and feel the progress.
4. We made shamelessly frequent requests for financial support and for more petitioners. We provided homestays for out-of-town Greens and saw that they were hydrated, fed, thanked and made to feel part of a full-push effort. We paired with them, being right there to back them up when they ran into snags, and shared the successes. In the end these Greens made the margin of difference. Several, like Cat and
Danene, were Nader supporters, who were conflicted when Nader went his separate way, and yet, they stayed and worked hard for our Green signatures. Others were McKinney folks or uncommitteds, who took
seriously our promise, nationwide, to offer her ballot lines. Thanks Charlie, Craig and Brian. Three were candidates themselves– Jesse Johnson, Kent Mesplay, Kat Swift– who paid their own way to trudge
along at our side, asking for signatures.
5. Giving back: We recruited local candidates, so everybody would ride the shared coattail. We gave money back to the GP-US Ballot Access Committee, to help the next state. We sent a carload of petitioners to
Texas and planned to send a crackerjack signature solicitor to Utah.
Because we ARE more than an alternative. The Green Party is The Imperative.
