MoveOn Petitions Program for Elected Officials
How Can MoveOn Petitions Help You Win?
- Build support for your issues and legislation.Starting a petition allows you to campaign on the most pressing issue of the day, from fighting gun violence in your community to taking action on climate change. When talking to the media or your fellow representatives, you can show that the grassroots is behind you by highlighting the raw number of signers on your petition and/or some of the personal stories that your signers leave as comments.
- Gain visibility with MoveOn members. MoveOn members are voters, committed grassroots activists, and donors. When possible, we promote the most compelling petitions to targeted segments of our list via email and social media, helping to boost your name recognition with members. Furthermore, you can issue a direct response to any petition which lists you as a decision-maker by simply clicking a link in your notification email.
- Get expedited testing of your petitions. We’re committed to bringing the best progressive leaders’ voices and campaigns around the country directly to MoveOn members. That’s why when you start a petition, we’ll test it out to MoveOn members as soon as possible (assuming no compliance issues or other conflicts). This helps you quickly build support for issues while they’re in the news.
- Grow your base of supporters. It’s easy to share your MoveOn petitions with your current supporters by email or social media, so they can share with their friends and expand your circle of support. You can then email all of your signers via MoveOn’s petition tool and ask them to take action on your website to help grow your own supporter base.
- Easily communicate with voters. MoveOn’s petition tool makes it easy to communicate directly with people in your district. Share the petition with grassroots organizations, members of the media, and your own list to help seed some momentum. You can then target mailings to signers by state and federal district, as well as other geographic criteria. If you’re an elected official, you can also respond to constituents who sign petitions started by fellow MoveOn members. This makes it easy to show where you stand on issues and makes your constituents feel heard.
How Do I Join?
- Click here to start and share your first petition.
- Once your petition has been created, email electedspetitions@moveon.org with the email address you used and link to your petition so we can take a look and follow up with any questions.
- And that’s it! Start sharing your petition with others on social media, and we’ll start testing your petitions to the relevant MoveOn members (assuming you meet all eligibility requirements and there are no compliance issues).
How Others Are Using MoveOn Petitions
Dozens of candidates and elected officials have used petitions to organize supporters for their causes and campaigns. Here are just a few examples of successful petitions from candidates and elected officials.
- Support the Marijuana Justice Act by U.S. Senator Cory Booker.
- Answers about Andrew McCabe’s firing by U.S. Senator Kamala Harris.
- Tell Trump to release his taxes by Daniel Biss, former IL state representative and candidate for governor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the MoveOn Petitions’ Candidates Program?
All progressive elected officials are eligible to join.
What will make my petition strong or test well with MoveOn members?
We’ve found that the best way to find a strong petition is to test as many as possible, because it’s sometimes hard to predict what will perform well with members. That’s why it’s a good rule of thumb to put as many active, relevant petitions into MoveOn’s petition tool as you can.
We’ve generally found that the petitions that do the best are:
- Timely: They focus on an issue currently in the news or have another hook, such as a looming deadline, to show a sense of urgency.
- Clear: The petition statement should clearly show what you are asking of or telling your decision makers.
- Concise: There’s no more than a paragraph or two for your statement, with a few paragraphs at most for the petition background info.
Can I send signers a link to donate or invite them to fundraisers?
No. It is against our Terms of Service to request donations. This applies to all petition creators. You can, however, direct them to join your email list or follow you on social media where they may be asked to support your work in a variety of ways.
Can I ask signers to vote for me in an upcoming election?
Yes! You can ask your signers to vote for you in an upcoming election, with consideration to applicable election rules.
How do I know how MoveOn members responded to my petition?
We generally send petitions to small segments of our membership daily. Feel free to follow up with us to ask any questions or get details on member feedback.
How can I respond to petitions as a decision-maker?
Elected officials are encouraged to respond to petitions, and we make it easy. Simply click any of the notification emails you receive when you’re alerted that a new petition has listed you as a decision-maker. There’s a simple link to click on to issue a response to all constituents who signed.
I have another question you haven’t answered yet.
Email electedspetitions@moveon.org and a dedicated member of the MoveOn support team will get back you.