In this article, we will examine the following questions: what is a petition, why do people write petitions, how to write a petition to collect as many signatures in support as possible, sites for starting petitions, and examples of petitions that have collected more than 100,000 signatures.
In the article about social justice, we learned that there are several ways to express public opinion, one of which is a petition.
What is a petition?
A petition is a collective appeal to government officials or public organizations signed by several people. It is a kind of call to action.
A petition can be submitted by any resident of the country in written or electronic form. Indicate in the text of the petition a problem, desire, or need that the authorities can solve. This method gives the public the opportunity to participate in political and social life, thus expressing their opinion.
Each country has its own set of laws regarding petitions. So, in the UK, a petition must collect 100,000 signatures for parliament to bring this issue up for discussion.
The first documented petition was created by slaves who built the pyramids in Ancient Egypt. They fought for better working conditions.
wikipedia
If you are concerned about some problem and you don’t know how to bring it to the attention of the government and finally change something, write a petition. The text of the petition must be well thought out. The topic needs to be studied thoroughly. Then you will be more convincing in your position. This will help you collect more signatures, whether you are pursuing big or small goals.
In addition to a petition, you can also write a publication on a socially significant topic and publish it on social networks.
How to Write a Petition. Step-by-Step Instructions
If you want to write a petition, here’s what you need to do:
- Research the issue before writing a petition. After all, in addition to knowing what you would like to change, you need to provide certain information and arguments to support your opinion. For example, if you want a new playground to be built in your neighborhood, go to the city hall’s website and see what budget was allocated for past projects.
- Think about whose competence it is to solve the problem. Will it be the school, the local government, or the parliament? You need to understand who to contact with the requirement and write it in the text. For example: “Dear Mayor of Riga…”
- How many signatures do you need to collect? Each government agency has its data on how many signatures a petition must collect to be considered. You should find out this in advance so that you can decide whether it is worth participating in this “race”.
- Write a short and informative slogan. Create a call to action, such as: “Build a modern playground! Our children have nowhere to play!”
- In the first paragraph, try to reveal the essence of the problem, arouse the interest of readers, and, thus, convince them to read the petition to the end and sign. For the same reason, the petition should not be very long, then it is easier to scan the text and make a conclusion whether to support the author or not.
Bad example: “We demand to build a new playground!”
A good example: “We demand that the local government of city N allocate a budget for the construction of a modern playground with an age limit from 1 year to 7 years in district N.”
6. Next, provide arguments and additional information. State your reasons, and explain why you think this problem needs to be solved. Justify the importance of the goal you are pursuing, and also write down the actions you need to take.
Example: “5,000 people are living in District N, many of whom are young families with small children. But in our district, there is only one playground, and it is equipped with old swings and slides, many of which are broken. Our children have nowhere to play…”
7. The petition must be written correctly, without spelling errors. This way the text will be more authoritative in the eyes of the reader.
It’s easy to write a petition. But it is still worth preparing. You should study in advance who to address the petition to, how many signatures need to be collected, what the slogan should be, and the text of the petition in general.
The main thing is that you must write from the heart, quite emotionally, but also without forgetting about the facts and evidence that you are right. Start the text with general phrases. Then gradually reveal the details.
What Programs to Use to Write a Petition
The petition can be submitted on paper or online. You can create a petition to print it later in MS Office Word or, if you have an account (email) with Google, use Google Docs.
So, write in order in the document:
- name of the petition (short slogan),
- to whom is the petition addressed?
- the text with a description of the problem and arguments.
After this, you should make a table for collecting signatures. Usually, the table has columns in which you need to write: your full name, phone number, address, and signature:
How to Write a Petition: Online Petition Sites
If you don’t want to bother too much, you can submit a petition online. This can be done in a few clicks, and many online platforms offer to compose the petition text for you using AI.
Submitting a petition online is very easy and completely free. There are specialized websites, the most popular of which are:
- change.org is the most popular and user-friendly online platform. The platform has over 200 million users around the world.
Select “Start a petition”, then choose the scope of your petition and select your neighborhood, city, state, or region. Next, you need to write the text of the petition. You can start from a sketch or choose the Beta-version and write it with a generated petition draft.
On the change.org various categories are already presented: in support of animal rights, human rights, health, education, etc.
Anyone can start a petition on change.org for free. But the platform also offers paid promotion, if necessary.
- ipetitions.com is another popular online petition platform. This organization believes that technology can change the world for the better. It supports petitions, considering them to be the engine of democracy. The online platform provides the petition author with tools for collecting signatures, creating a blog on the topic of the petition, and even creating a community of people who care about your issue. Also on ipetitions.com you can choose the design for your petition, and upload additional files, documents, and images. Submitting a petition is free.
- Another popular English-language platform is thepetitionsite.com. This platform is interesting because you can take a video course on creating a petition right on their website. Thepetitionsite helps optimize a petition for Facebook, promote it, and collect more votes in support of it.
If you want to address the problem to the head of state or the mayor of the city directly, you can write a petition on the official websites of government officials.
Examples of Petitions With More Than 100,000 Signatures
Below you can see examples of petitions that have won and collected the required number of votes in support and even more.
Get Amazon to Offer Plastic-Free Packaging Options
This petition made change with 784,715 supporters!
The Issue
Thousands of the products on Amazon are shipped with plastic wrapping and cushioning materials unnecessarily.
We are petitioning for a ‘Plastic-free’ option at checkout and ‘Plastic-free’ labeling available for sellers who already choose eco alternatives.
It’s unfair that so much plastic is being put into the world when it is avoidable and safe eco options to replace bubble wrap, shrink wrap and styrofoam are available.
Much of the plastic included in e-commerce shipping is not recyclable at all or is very difficult to recycle given the lack of facilities. 91% of all plastic ends up as litter, in landfills or incinerated. Paper and other biodegradable materials are as effective and similar in price to plastic and bubble-wrap, which Amazon requires from it’s marketplace sellers. It’s time they updated both their checkout options and their marketplace requirements to remove the ‘bubble-wrap non-compliance’ penalties.
Since Amazon ships over 50% of the packages in many countries, we are asking them to set an example and offer materials that are more easily recycled and reused so consumers can feel better about the need to shop online and gain more control over what arrives on their doorstep.
According to scientists, about 17.6 billion pounds of plastic enter the ocean annually and there are more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic floating in our oceans. This plastic enters from all nations, including the US and European countries by way of waste export. Why add more?
Please grant consumers the choice to go ‘Plastic-free’. It’s not acceptable for major businesses to leave consumers with so few choices and we are fed plastic we didn’t ask for that later ends up in landfills or in our rivers and oceans. Plastic-free choices should be accessible and plentiful if we want to see lasting change and a dramatic decrease in plastic waste. Let’s take a big step forward and make ‘Plastic-free’ a regular option on all checkout forms. Amazon has an opportunity to set a GREAT example.
STOP Travelling Dolphin Shows!
This petition made change with 343,045 supporters!
The Issue
— Indonesian version: www.change.org/stopsirkuslumba —
They’re intentionally starved. Transported in cramped and dark trucks in almost dry conditions for hours. The chlorine in the pool can make them blind. The loud truck/plane engine sound, and music from the show damage their sonar. It’s not a surprise that they are sometimes found dead. And all this in the name of education and conservation?
This is what is was found at the Travelling Dolphin Circus being run by Wersut Seguni Indonesia (WSI) across Indonesia. The circus claim to have rescued these dolphins but in fact the dolphins are captured from the wild at around $200-300 each.
Indonesia is the only country where this cruel “entertainment” continues. We can stop this, if we pressure companies to stop their support for the circus. That means supermarkets like Ramayana and regional governments in Java to stop providing space.
In the past, through public pressure, companies like Carrefour have stopped providing them a venue, and just weeks ago, Garuda agreed to stop transporting these dolphins by air.
Now, let’s ask the Indonesian minister of environment and forestry: to these terrible dolphin travelling shows!
Sign this petition NOW, and save the dolphins!
36 Months Australia – Raise the age of social media citizenship from 13-16
This petition made change with 127,840 supporters!
The Issue
36 Months is a social change initiative to amend legislation to raise the minimum age Australian teenagers can sign up for social media accounts from 13 to 16.
Excessive social media use is rewiring young brains within a critical window of psychological development, causing an epidemic of mental illness. It has been linked to mental health issues, cyberbullying, anxiety, depression, self-harm and even suicide in Australian teenagers.
At 13, children are not yet ready to navigate online social networks safely. These years are crucial for them to develop a secure sense of self alongside social confidence. 36 Months aims to create a supportive platform for teenagers to cultivate a secure identity and navigate the digital landscape with resilience and mindfulness.
Pioneered by Nova radio presenter Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli and FINCH founder Rob Galluzzo, 36 Months is aiming to change legislation to delay social media citizenship for teenagers until they reach the age of 16. In order to safeguard their digital future, we’re calling on families, community leaders and educators to advocate with us for crucial policy change and sign this petition that will be taken to parliament.
As you can see, together we can change a lot. We have the power to influence important problems in our society. The main thing is not to close your eyes and heart.