What Does Signing a Political Petition Mean? – Ulster County Board of Elections (2024)

There are two ways for a candidate to appear on your November General Election ballot. Candidates may circulate a petition that must be signed by registered members of the political party that they are seeking to represent in the fall contest. By signing a political petition, you are authorizing that candidate or group of candidates to appear on the ballot for that political contest. There are three types of petitions you may be asked to sign. Designating Petitions are for members of a party to “designate” a candidate of slate of candidates. Opportunity to Ballot petitions, which simply state the office, but no named candidate and allows members of the party to have the “Opportunity” to write in the name of a candidate for the named political office. Finally, Independent Petitions are when a candidate or team of candidates choose to create a one-time political party for the purposes of appearing on the November ballot. For example, “Friends of Hamlet XYZ” or “People for Green Trees.”

Only enrolled party members living within the appropriate district may sign petitions for candidates who seek their party’s nomination. However, any registered voter living within the appropriate district may sign a petition for a candidate seeking to run as an independent in the general election as long as they have not already signed on behalf of another candidate.

What Does Signing a Political Petition Mean? – Ulster County Board of Elections (2024)

FAQs

What is the purpose of signing a petition? ›

By signing a political petition, you are authorizing that candidate or group of candidates to appear on the ballot for that political contest.

What does it mean to caucus with a political party? ›

Caucuses are meetings run by political parties that are held at the county, district, or precinct level. Some caucuses choose candidates by secret ballot. Others require participants to divide themselves into groups according to the candidate they support. Undecided participants form their own group.

What power does a petition have? ›

Legal petitions ask a court to issue a specific order and are usually filed by a lawyer involved in a specific case or lawsuit. Public purpose petitions ask officials to take or not take a specific action. These are circulated to get signatures from members of the public who share the petition's view.

What are the disadvantages of petitions? ›

Because petitions are easy to set up, the site can attract frivolous causes, or jokes framed in the ostensible form of a petition.

Why do they call it a caucus? ›

Native American. James Hammond Trumbull suggested to the American Philological Association that the word comes from an Algonquian word for "counsel", cau´-cau-as´u. It might also derive from the Algonquian cawaassough, meaning an advisor, talker, or orator. This explanation was favored by Charles Dudley Warner.

What does gop stand for? ›

What is the Republican caucus called? ›

The Freedom Caucus, also known as the House Freedom Caucus, is a congressional caucus consisting of Republican members of the United States House of Representatives. It is generally considered to be the most conservative and furthest-right bloc within the chamber.

What is the purpose of filing a petition? ›

A petition is a formal request seeking a court order and stating the reasons why it is needed. It may be filed by a person, group, or organization, and is typically the first step in a lawsuit. A petition also may be used to appeal a court's decision.

Why is petition important? ›

The right to petition permits us to ask government to take action to address a need or concern. While it doesn't guarantee a desired result, it does ensure a level of participation in the democratic process.

What are the advantages of signing a petition online? ›

Strengths
  • They allow people to find others who are campaigning about issues that are important to them.
  • Increased awareness of what issues other people find important.
  • E-petitions are more easily circulated and signed than their paper-based equivalent.

What percentage of petitions are successful? ›

Of all visible petitions, 1.6% reached the 100,000 threshold. This success rate is consistent with the predicted pattern that only a small fraction of campaigns eventually succeed [48] . ... Goel et al.

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