‘Petition for Council–signatures’
courtesy of ‘rochelle, et. al.’
Wednesday’s a pretty big day in the upcoming special election, it’s the day that ballot petitions are due. Each of the seventeen candidates must collect the signatures of 3,000 DC voters by Wednesday, and so you might see a horde of people outside of Metro stations, bars, and your favorite social space. You may find this process tedious, and I assure you, you’re not alone. This process, though, is how we get electoral choice.
So, a word of advice? Sign the petition.
Signing a petition to place a candidate on the ballot is one of the few things in this life that obligates you to nothing, and serves the greater good of society. All it does is place them on the ballot, it doesn’t imply you’re going to vote for this person, it doesn’t mean you like them or believe them, just that you believe in democracy.
Given the limited scope of the At-Large election, it’s likely that these people collecting signatures aren’t being paid to stand there and introduce themselves, they’re just volunteers working as cogs in the election machine. So, be polite, and sign and date that form.
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
What about those of us not living or voting in the District? I suspect if I sign such a petition and they get challenged, the person whom I signed for would be accused of forging the signatures?
Samer makes a fine point: You are only eligible to sign if you live in, and are registered to vote in, the District of Columbia. A polite “Sorry, I’m not registered in DC” is plenty.