Political petitions have a long history as a means of communication between citizens and authorities.
The earliest documentation of a petition was from slaves in Ancient Egypt who petitioned for better working conditions while building pyramids.
In Imperial China, petitions were read aloud to the emperor by court secretaries. Anyone could petition the emperor, although not every petition was presented to the emperor. Those petitions that were sufficiently persuasive to impeach corrupt or questionable local officials were more likely to be read, while others were filed away.
In early modern states, petitions were frequently used to address grievances, seek redress, or request favors. Depending on their nature, petitions might be addressed to monarchs, local officials, or religious institutions. Early petitions were generally submitted by individuals.
Collective petitioning began in England during the late 13th and 14th centuries and became a common form of protest to the British House of Commons, and this form of communication with government found its way to North America and Western Europe.
Mass collective petitioning emerged on a large scale across North America. Indeed, the American Declaration of Independence was the end result of a string of collective petitions from the colonies to England, and the right to petition was codified in the Petition Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Today, petitions are commonly used in the United States to qualify candidates for public office or to place initiatives on the ballot in states whose laws allow for ballot initiatives.
Mass petitioning has become a crucial part of collective actions by various social movements. Activists use petitions to rally support, express grievances, and advocate for change.
In many cases, petitions display support for a cause, even in jurisdictions or cases where the petition has no legal effect. A large number of signatures on a petition might impress a governmental or bureaucratic body, or it might serve to gain media attention for the cause.
Other advantages might include enabling political organization, mobilization, identity formation, and networking with other political actors.
Legal frameworks for petitions vary by country, state, and municipality. In areas where petitions have legal effect, they must adhere to relevant laws, regulations, and constitutional provisions. Some jurisdictions require that petitions be collected on official forms and formats and qualification or registration of circulators.
Otherwise, effective petitions should be clear, concise, and respectful. There should be a well-defined purpose supported by relevant facts and a call to action.
Recommended Resources
The online petition platform fuels progressive social and political causes by uniting its members with non-profits and mission-based brands working for progressive causes, such as animal welfare, abortion rights, the environment, LGBT rights, education, wildlife protection, immigration rights, civil rights, criminal justice reform, healthcare, and others. Starting a petition is free, although the platform will not support all causes. Its business model is described.
https://www.thepetitionsite.com/
Launched in 2007, Change.Org is a for-profit online petition platform that allows individuals to create and sign petitions to advance social causes, such as justice, human rights, education, environmental protection, animal rights, and sustainability. The site also supports and assists organizations and paid members in advancing their causes. The platform uses a subscription membership model and encourages people to promote petitions on the site, which includes an informational blog.
https://www.change.org/
The international petition hosting portal offers a global hosting service. It claims to have no political affiliations and welcomes a variety of perspectives from individuals and groups, including academic, NGO, and government patrons. Petition examples are provided, along with petition template ideas, instructions for writing a petition, and client testimonials. Sponsored petitions are listed on the site, facilitating extra traffic, and local, regional, national, and international reach.
https://www.gopetition.com/
Maintained by Angle Three Associates, iPetitions allows individuals to create an online petition campaign supporting a cause, offering the physical space to host the petition, tools to gather signatures, blog about the cause, and build a community around the issues supporting the petition. Customized campaign-building solutions are available to larger organizations, although the site may be used by anyone, with costs covered by advertising and donations.
https://www.ipetitions.com/
Formed in 1998, MoveOn is a progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee that promotes and advances various leftist causes through various methods, including its online petition platform. Through this platform, individuals and organizations can create petitions on issues they care about. Once created, organizers can rally supporters to sign it, with the platform providing tools to share petitions via email, social media, and other channels.
https://campaigns.moveon.org/petitions/
Active since 2010, openPetition is a petition platform organized into stewardship since 2022. Financed by small donations from its users, the site rejects influence from companies or political organizations. Advice is available to petition circulators from the start to the handing over of the petition. Statements of mission, goals, principles, and values are featured on the website, and its guidelines and instructions are included, along with contacts and a facility for online contributions.
https://www.openpetition.org/
Parliament of Australia Petition List
On the official Australian government website, citizens are invited to create an electronic petition using an online form or by emailing a draft of the petition to the Petitions Committee secretariat, abiding by specific rules provided here. After approval by the Petitions Committee, the e-petition is published on the website, where it will be open for signatures for a four-week period. Signers provide their name and email address. Available petitions are listed.
https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions
Petitions: UK Government and Parliament
This site allows members of the public to create and support petitions for consideration by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Users can submit petitions on various topics through the site, and if a petition receives more than 100,000 signatures, Parliament will consider it for debate. The site provides a platform for citizens to raise issues and advocate for change, with the Petitions Committee reviewing and selecting petitions of interest to explore further.
https://petition.parliament.uk/
Launched in 2015, StandUnited is a conservative petition platform that allows individuals or organizations to create petitions for various conservative causes, such as transgender bathroom policies, personal privacy, consumer rights, tax concerns, and ditching daylight savings time. Its partners, news reports, press policies, and categories of active petitions are set forth and made available for signing. An online form is available for inquiries and comments.
https://www.standunited.org/
