Signing petitions is a great way to make a difference in your community, country, and world.

Believe it or not, there are literally thousands of worthy petitions across the world wide web ready to be signed right now … by you.

What do you believe in? What do you stand for?

Support your cause and stand up for others by starting your own petition.

petition

You may be asking yourself: Do petitions really work?

Do governments even acknowledge petitions anymore?

Are they useful at all?

The answer is yes, and you can be an activist.

The right to petition is actually protected in the first amendment. It is one of five freedoms bestowed upon every citizen of the United States of America.

  1. The right to relgion
  2. The right to free speech
  3. The right to free press
  4. The right to assembly
  5. The right to PETITION

Petitions are the essence of democracy. It is our opportunity and right to air any grievances we have with our government.

If you have a problem with your government, talking to a friend about it around the water cooler or at the local tavern, will not result in any changes. You have to write it down on paper (or online) and obtain a number of signatures.

Petitions do indeed create change. Consider these instances:

  • In 1897, Hawaiians successfully petitioned the annexation of the Hawaiian islands.
  • More recently, on 2012, an organization petitioned to make cellphone blocking legal.
  • In November 2015, Taco Bell opted only to use eggs from cage-free chickens after a petition forced the franchise’s hand.
  • A month later, in December 2015, Congress was petitioned to extend healthcare to September 11 first responders. It passed!
  • Best of all, a group of angry citizens in Western New York petitioned plumbers in Cheektowaga to provide free estimates.

So how do you start a petition?

It used to be difficult, but these days, we’re happy to say, it can be quite easy. Many websites can actually assist you in producing a fully-functioning petition, as well as resources to help you get the word once you start your petition.

We recommend change.org. Plus, the U.S. government and European parliament both have petition sites as way to get your grievances directly to the source.

If you believe in something, if you want to see change, we suggest you sign a petition today or start one of your own.