Petitioning Now Through April 2.
Petitioning season arrives quietly—clipboards in hand, bundled coats, familiar faces outside the post office, grocery store, and at your front door—and yet it remains one of the most powerful rituals in American civic life. Before any campaign signs appear, before debates, before ballots are printed, there is this simple, essential act: neighbors asking neighbors to help put names on the ballot. It’s democracy and it doesn’t get any more local than this.
For the next several weeks, candidates and volunteers will be walking our streets, climbing front steps, and navigating back roads to gather signatures on their nominating petitions. These signatures—from registered Democrats only—are what get our candidates on the ballot. No signatures, no ballot line. It’s that simple. These are used by candidates seeking their own party’s nomination for the primary election.
Signing a petition isn’t an endorsement of a platform or a promise of a vote. It’s something far more foundational: a recognition that your community deserves choices, voices, and a fair process. When someone you know—someone who has stood beside you at town meetings, volunteered at the library, or organized a food drive—steps forward to run for office, they’re taking a leap of courage. Petitioning is how we catch them and help them join in the conversation.
So, when a neighbor approaches you with a clipboard, consider it an invitation. Not to agree, but to allow. Not to choose a side, but to keep the door open. Democracy survives because ordinary people keep showing up for one another. Petitioning season is our annual reminder to do exactly that.
Be proactive—don’t wait for the knock—contact your local Democratic Committee for more information. In the meanwhile, check out these “Stop and Sign” petition signing events:
MARGARETVILLE:
March 14, 11am-2pm at 778 Main Street
March 15, 12-2pm at 778 Main Street
DELHI:
March 21, Noon at the St Patrick’s Day Parade, 98 Main Street
WANT TO DO MORE?
Volunteer to collect signatures: Meet your neighbors, introduce the candidates, and keep the process transparent and shaped at the local level.
Organize a “Stop and Sign” event in your town to collect signatures in one centralized location.
Join Your Town’s Democratic Committee: Collect a small number of signatures to get on the ballot—but far fewer than candidates for office. Consider that most committee races go uncontested. If your petition is accepted, you’ll join committed DelCo Dems doing the essential, unglamorous, community building work that wins elections and shapes the future.
This article is from the March 3 issue of dcDIGEST. If you subscribe to dcDIGEST and missed reading this, check your email for March 3, 10am to see ALL the articles! If you don’t receive dcDIGEST, subscribe today!