Petition
| Ballot law |
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| State laws |
| Initiative law Recall law Changes to law |
| Court cases |
| Ballot measure lawsuits |
| Local ballot measure laws |
Contents
Definition
In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some official and signed by numerous individuals. A petition may be oral rather than written and may be transmitted via the Internet. The term also has a specific meaning in the legal profession as a request, directed to a court or administrative tribunal, seeking some sort of relief such as a court order.[1]
History
Petitions were a common form of protest and request to the British House of Commons in the 18th and 19th centuries, the largest being the Great People's Charter, or petition of the Chartists. They are still presented in small numbers.
The Petition Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right of the people "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." The right to petition has been held to include the right to file lawsuits against the government.
Modern use
Petitions are commonly used in the U.S. to qualify candidates for public office to appear on a ballot. While anyone can be a write-in candidate, a candidate desiring that his or her name appear on printed ballots and other official election materials must gather a certain number of valid signatures from registered voters. In jurisdictions whose laws allow for ballot initiatives, the gathering of a sufficient number of voter signatures qualifies a proposed initiative to be placed on the ballot.
Changes to laws governing the initiative process
See also
- Ballot initiative
- Veto referendum
- States with initiative or referendum
- Ballot access
- Laws governing ballot measures
Footnotes
