How to start a Petition

When did petition writing emerge for the first time? In the 13th century a petition might have been the previous impulse before a law was created. Nowadays petitions undergo the same mission: To form opinions and finally be able to raise a topic in front of parliament or another responsible institution to improve a certain situation. These situations may deal with a political, a social or a cultural subject. The petition usually is formed of an invariant body.

How to start a Petition

How to start a petition? Collecting claims by jarnocan CC

The Petition: An Overview

A well elaborated petition has to display a convincing set of problems in a cogent and compact text. The petition needs a well-defined headline. In addition to that it has to contain the address of the recipient. It makes sense to start a public campaign concerning the issue of the petition to collect signatures and by that increase the pressure onto the relevant administrations. With the submission of the concern the petitioner may be sure that his issue is examined objectively.

How to start a Petition

To begin with one’s own petition it is important to write down all the thoughts and ideas concerning the nuisance in focus. This way questions and facts may be yielded that one has not thought of in the place. Maybe these new ideas even throw another light on the issue of choice. If the nuisance nevertheless keeps on persisting and results in serious consequences for individual people or groups of people one may put it forward with strong arguments. There a certain points already raised in the text How to write a Petition that have to be clarified before sending the petition to a responsible office:

  1. What actually is the problem and how do the details look like?
  2. Who is affected by this problem?
  3. Where exactly did the responsible institution miss something?
  4. Which solutions might be possible?

When all these question have found their answers one may start with the actual creation of the petition.

Formal Requirements and what happens next

A petition has to be handed in written form and signed by the petitioner. It also may be put forward orally which happens right at the responsible office. After the office has received the petition it has to form the Committee on Petitions and start with a closer examination of the facts.