Mission Accomplished!

Thanks to the hundreds of volunteers that helped deliver 20,000 signatures to the State Board of Elections.  You made Barack Obama the first presidential candidate to qualify for the ballot here in Virginia!

In order for Barack Obama to win the Virginia primary, he must be on the ballot. Virginia has the most stringent petition requirement in the nation.  Around July 1st, the State Board of Elections made a petition available which requires a minimum of 10,000 qualified registered voter signatures to get him on the ballot.

Getting a candidate for federal office on the ballot in Virginia has always been a challenge for campaigns. During this upcoming presidential election that challenge will be even greater. With the new primary calandar, candidates will be required to be on the ballot in nearly two dozen states by next February 5th. Not an easy task!

The campaigin will need foot soldiers willing to collect signatures...and a lot of them. Although 10,000 signatures are required, the campaign has a goal of 15,000. Some will not be valid, some will not be legible, people change addresses, and other petition signers may not be properly registered.

Here's how it works: 

• The State Board of Elections (SBE) published a printed petition somewhere around the 1st week of July. It is available for download from the SBE website however, we've made it available here at Virginia for Obama. A quick glance at the instructions can be found here .
  
• There are 11 congressional districts in Virginia.  A minimum number of 400 qualified registered voters must come from each congressional district. 
  
• 11 districts x 400 signatures = 4400 signatures. (not enough). Once 4400 signatures have been collected from across the 11 congressional districts, another 5600 will still be needed.  Those can come from anywhere in the state.
• To ensure Senator Obama is on the ballot, the goal is 800 from each congressional district. This allows for bad or unverifiable signatures.
• Collecting the required number of signatures will probably be most difficult in the 5th, 6th, & 9th districts and less populated areas.
  
• The campaign will have from around July 1st until December 14th to present the petition signatures to the State Board of Elections. They will inform organizers of their target date & goal.  The petitions have to be sorted, counted, labeled, and boxed by congressional district. For that reason, those participting in the effort cannot wait until the deadline. We should all anticipate getting to work and submitting them in plenty of time. 

Who can collect signatures?

Anyone who is 18 years old and a registered voter.

Who can vote?  Anyone who is 18 years old and registered to vote or will be 18 years old & eligible to vote in the February 2008 Democratic Primary. It's best to focus your energy on people you feel are actually registered to vote. 

Who can sign the petition? In Virginia, it's an open primary meaning Democrats, Republicans, & Independents can sign however, signing the petition indicates the person signing it intends to vote in the Democratic Primary. In the general election, they are not bound to vote for the person they helped get on the ballot by signing the petition.

What information is required on the petition? Name, Full Address, Last four digits of Social Security Number & Signature

About the Petition: The SBE petition is two-sided with room for 12 signatures per page, 24 signatures total.  If someone writes their address down and you cannot clearly read it, the SBE cannot read it either. Check all signatures to ensure the info is legible.  If it is not, please have the person re-write it or you re-write it. You cannot sign it for them. Only the qualfied registered voter can sign it.

Each petition page must be labeled by congressional district.  The completed page must also be signed by the the person circulating it (bottom of page) in the presence of a notary public and stamped with their official stamp. 

It makes sense to collect signatures in your own congressional district because you know the area. In more difficult regions such as rural areas & republican territories it will be harder to get signatures. In some cases, the Obama campaign may need teams to travel outside their own congressional district.  Be prepared to take a little road trip if necessary.

About the congressional districts: Thanks to redistricting by the Republican Legislature, the district boundries in some areas of the state are all chopped up.  In Northern Virginia in particular, it's not always easy to know what congressional district you're in. Districts may be divided right down the middle of a town.  Warning-People in these areas may be willing to sign the petition but may not live in the right congressional district for the petition you are circulating.  If it's a known, questionable, chopped-up district, it would be wise to have several petitions, each marked by congressional district, city, or county.  Rather than lose their signature, pull out a petition you've labeled for their district. Be prepared. You have to know what district you're in and that the person signing the petition resides in that district. 

 Maps for each Virginia Congressional District:

Where is the best place to collect signatures?  It really depends on the area you reside in.  Since you're collecting signatures for a Democratic candidate, you're best to focus on areas where Democrats congregate. Most counties and/or cities have a local Democratic Party monthly meeting. Go to them and ask people to sign. Remember to inform signers that they are not endorsing the candidate. They are only ensuring that all Democratic candidates & specifically Barack Obama, have an opportunity to appear on the ballot for the primary.

The Democratic Party has other meetings such as executive & congressional district committee meetings, etc. Those are excellent places to work. Festivals, bus stops, train stations (Northern Virginia), environmental groups, labor groups, education groups, gay & lesbian groups, minority neighborhoods, and many others have high Democratic voting histories. Don't be afraid to take a petition to them.  Ask family & friends, business or work associates, church folks, and others to sign the petition. 

What to do with the petitions as you fill a page?  Kevin Wolf is heading up the petition effort and can advise you on how to get signed petitions to Senator Obama's staff in time for them to be sorted, counted, labeled, boxed, and presented to the SBE before the deadline.

Assisting in the petition effort and making a donation to the campaign will go a long way to help Senator Obama win Virginia.

Events & Places to Collect Signatures in Northern Virginia this Year

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