Zephyr Teachout Petitioning Handbook Policies and materials for Zephyr Teachout Petitioning Team, 2018 Agenda....2 What is Petitioning?......3 Petitioning Basics...... 3-7 The Rap Door to Door....8 The Rap Street Canvassing...8 General Talking Points.9 Standards and Expectations...9 Zephyr Teachout Organizing Team Contact Info.... 9 1
Training Agenda Sign In Introductions Petitioning Overview o What is petitioning? o Why is petitioning for Zephyr So Critical? Petitioning Dos and Don ts o Sample Petition Role play and Sample Script o Street Canvassing o Door to Door Canvassing Petitioning Group Building Petition Hand Out 2
What is Petitioning? In New York, petitioning is how a candidate gets on a ballot for an election. When a Democrat wants to run for any office (President, Congress, Mayor, County Executive, City Council, etc.) Democratic voters need to sign a petition saying that specific candidate should be allowed to run in the election. The number of signatures required depends on the office. Petitioning is a grassroots part of our Democracy it ensures that the people get to choose their candidates. Petitioning Basics Who can collect signatures for Zephyr Teachout? 1. Only registered Democrats, notaries and NYC Commissioner of Deeds can collect signatures. 2. If you are not a registered Democrat, notary or NYC Commissioner of Deeds you can help by partnering with someone who is qualified to collect signatures (e.g. driving them from house to house if in a rural area), but you cannot collect signatures on your own. 3. If you are a notary or NYC Commissioner of Deeds and NOT a registered Democrat, you need a special petition and should contact info@zephyrforny.com. Who can sign petitions for Zephyr Teachout? Only signatures of registered Democrats who reside in NYS will be considered valid. A registered Democrat can sign only one petition for a given office. 3
How can I get the right people to sign the petition? 1. If on the street, ask if they are a registered Democrat. If following a walk sheet and door knocking, ensure that the person you are talking to the registered voter indicated on the sheet. 2. Be neat, courteous, concise, and sociable you are more likely to get a voter to sign by being friendly. 3. If the potential signer hasn t decided who they are supporting in the election, that s ok! They can vote for anyone they want on Election Day, their signature today just makes it so Zephyr s name can appear on the ballot. How do I make sure the signatures I collect will be considered valid? 1. Read the petition, including the top section so you understand what you are asking people to sign. 2. The signatures you collect must be in ink, not pencil. You MUST use a black or blue ball point pen. 3. Fill in the date column on the left side of the petition BEFORE you hand over the clipboard for the registered Democrat to sign the petition. The date to the left of each signature must be the date on which the voter signed the petition. 4. You MUST SEE every signature as it is placed on the sheet. For example, your friend cannot hold your sheet and get signatures while you are elsewhere. 4
5. Instruct the signer that they only need to place their signature on the dotted line of the second column (under where it says Name of Signer, signature required ). Never permit someone to sign for another person (e.g. a wife cannot sign for husband; parent must not sign for son or daughter). Never sign anyone else s signature, even if he or she gives you permission to do so. 6. Take the clipboard back and ask the signer their legal name and write it very neatly under the signature. 7. Ask the signer their street address and write it very neatly in the address column. You do not need to write in the zip code. 8. Never use ditto marks. 9. Each name should be signed in full (no initials), but titles (Mrs., Mr, Dr., etc.) should not be used. 10. Do not erase it there is an error. Even if in doubt, just neatly cross out the entire line and have the signer sign correctly on another line. 11. If you have left the voter, you may make corrections to the date and address but you may never correct errors in the signature. Note: Any alterations to the date and address must be initialed by the witness in the left margin. 12. For non-nyc residents, ask the signer what TOWN they live in and write it very neatly in the Town column. This column is not for their neighborhood, it specifically needs to state the Town in which they live. 13. For NYC residents, ask the signer what County they live in and write it very neatly in the right hand column. This column is NOT for their neighborhood or Borough; it specifically needs to state the County in which they live. See list of Counties below. 5
Borough Brooklyn Manhattan Staten Island Queens Bronx County Kings New York Richmond Queens Bronx 26. If a mistake is made by the signer, or if the signer alters anything, make sure he/she initials the correction. 27. Complete the witness statement at the bottom of the sheet at the end of the petitioning shift, even if you haven t filled the sheet out fully. 28. You cannot witness your own signature. 29. You must never sign as the witness on a sheet obtained by someone else. Do not sign as a witness unless you personally secured all of the signatures on the sheet. 30. Always remember to fill in the square indicating the number of signatures. 31. Do NOT fill in where it says Sheet No. on the bottom right of each page. What should I have when I am collecting signatures? Petitions An appropriately sized clipboard Blue and Black Pens (more than one) Literature (with information about Zephyr) 6
A map of your district (especially outside NYC to help ensure the correct town or city is entered) Voter registration forms (newly registered voters shouldn t sign, but we wan t them to vote in September) For door knocking, a walk sheet of registered democratic voters in your area. Contact Aly, Adin, or your district coordinator to provide you with a walk sheet. Where can I return signed petitions? BMG, Zephyr for AG, 125 Maiden Lane, Suite 308, New York NY, 10038 Reminder: Neatness and legibility counts, and following petitioning regulations is crucial to avoid our hard earned signatures being disqualified on technical grounds. We will strive to ensure 100% validity in the petition signatures we collect. Each petition will be checked for validity and completeness by campaign Quality Control staff with the following methods Petitions will be reviewed by campaign staff upon their return. Information will be checked against the New York State Board of Elections daily at http://voterlookup.elections.state.ny.us/ Invalid petitions will be removed from the campaign count Submitting fraudulent or false signatures is a crime. Signing a witness statement without having witnessed all of the signatures on the page is a crime. 7
The Rap: Door-to-door Hi, is home? I m, I m collecting petition signatures for Zephyr Teachout who is running for Attorney General. Would you sign our petition to get Zephyr on the ballot for the Democratic Primary? The signature doesn t mean you have to vote for her or endorse her, it s just a way to get her on the ballot in the fall and support healthy democracy. (Hand off clipboard with the petition. Be sure that they SIGN, not print. Remember, you can fill in everything but the voters signature and you have their information on your list.) Thank you! Record on your list, then head to the next door The Rap Street Canvassing If street canvassing: Hey there, how are ya! My name is with the Zephyr Teachout for Attorney General campaign, and we re speaking to registered New York City voters in the district today, asking them to sign this petition to get Zephyr on the ballot for Democratic Primary. Would you happen to be a registered New York City Democratic voter? If No Alright, have a great day. If Yes Can I ask you to help out and provide your signature? (Hand off clipboard with the petition, if they sign, thank them and allow them to be on their way, otherwise ) IF THERE S ANY HESITATION (on behalf of the voter): - The signature doesn t mean you have to vote for her and endorse her, its just a way to get her on the ballot in the fall and support healthy democracy. - I m here volunteering my time because I believe in Zephyr and know she s the right person to deal with the issues in (whatever neighborhood you re in that day). 8
General Talking Points 1) Zephyr is committed to taking on Trump s corruption. 1) Zephyr has a track record of taking on Trump, and has been part of a citizens effort suing Trump over the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution (Taking gifts and bribes from foreign leaders in exchange for favors) since January 2017. 2) Zephyr is in independent fighter with a strong grassroots base, taking on the corruption in Albany, as well as D.C. 3) Zephyr is committed to taking on Wall Street, the big banks, and other corporate monopolies to create a justice system that works for all New Yorkers. 4) Zephyr is committed to using the power of the Attorney General s office to end mass incarceration in New York State, and beyond Standards and Expectations All team members are expected to meet the following standards: Be a registered New York State Democratic Party voter If you are unable to meet the petitioning commitment you made, please contact the campaign as soon as possible Ensure completeness and validity of all petition signatures. Ensure that Witness information is filled out completely and correctly Do not share the materials, strategy, or activity of the campaign with anyone outside of campaign Zephyr Teachout Organizing Team Contact Information Adin Buchanan Organizing Team adinb114@gmail.com 802-595-0286 If possible, text with your name and role before calling. Aly Johnson-Kurts Organizing Team ajohnsonkurts@gmail.com 802-595-9593 If possible, text with your name and role before calling. The New York State Board of Elections Voter Look-up 9