A large portion of the world’s population does not enjoy the luxury of contested elections – while we live in a country where contested elections are the norm. But, there is a very small price that we all need to pay to make sure that we continue to have democratic, contested elections – namely, a minute of each person’s time.
For the last three years, I have served as a volunteer to collect signatures on behalf of various candidates for political office so that local residents can enjoy a choice of candidates for public office on Election Day. It has been an eye-opening experience, particularly this year. I have come to realize that many of our fellow citizens take it for granted that we live in a country in which contested democratic elections are the norm.
Some of our neighbors do not seem to realize just how much time and effort is required in order to qualify to be on the ballot on Election Day. It is not enough to merely secure the nomination of a political party. In order to be placed on the ballot in November, every candidate must obtain hundreds, or in some cases, thousands of signatures from registered voters from their political party living in their district.
Sadly, many registered voters are reluctant to sign these petitions, apparently because of concern that signing will cause them some unspecified difficulty in the future that no one with whom I spoke is willing to articulate. But signing these petitions does not place the signers on any new list, nor will it subject you to any other negative consequence.
Those kind souls who do sign these petitions provide a significant benefit to us all. By signing, they allow the entire community to have choices of candidates for public office on Election Day. It is to everyone’s benefit to have contested elections, just as it is to everyone’s benefit to have choices of consumer products and professionals to hire when a need for such services arise. Regardless of one’s political party, who can forget the spectacle that occurred earlier this year when Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House, failed to qualify for the Virginia Republican Presidential primary because he was unable to obtain the required number of signatures to appear on the ballot.
Another fact that many voters appear unaware of is that under New York State law, there is a relatively short period during which petitioning occurs. Most of the people who provide the valuable service to the community of collecting petition signatures have jobs and careers that occupy much of their day, leaving only evenings and weekends to obtain the required number of signatures for the candidates they serve. The petitioners thus have very limited time available to collect signatures.
When I have walked door-to-door collecting petition signatures, some voters have told me that they were busy eating dinner or watching a TV show or just didn’t have time to bother just then, but expressed a willingness to sign the petitions if I were able to come back at another time. However, in a community with hundreds of homes, spread out over miles, and limited time available for petitioning, it is simply impossible to suit everyone’s desired schedule.
While asking for a convenient time may seem reasonable to someone who is paid for their services, it is less so when you are dealing with a volunteer whose work must be performed during a very brief, statutorily prescribed period. I hope that people will be more understanding of the time constraints that petitioners face, especially since it only takes a minute to sign the petitions!
The most surprising thing that occurred during my petitioning efforts this year, however, was that one resident became so irate over the request for his signature that, unbeknownst to me, he called the police.
A short while later, while walking home, a police car stopped next to me and advised me, incorrectly, that the activity in which I was engaged required a permit from the village.
Obviously, anyone who would be so offended by the important public service of petitioning that they would call the police in an effort to stop such activity, is unaware that petitioning is a Constitutionally protected right that we all cherish.
On the positive side, a number of our neighbors thanked me for providing this invaluable service on behalf of the community.
A few residents were extremely gracious, offering me the chance to cool off in their air-conditioned homes while they were signing the petitions. Throughout the exercise, I was struck by the diversity of our community. Each home is unique.
Our residents are diverse in many ways. While we may disagree about various issues or the solutions to our community’s problems, we are all Americans, we are all New Yorkers, and we are all residents of this wonderful community known as Great Neck.
In a typical election, often 50 percent of eligible voters do not vote, and in off-year elections, even fewer voters turn out at the polls. If all of us made just a small effort by signing petitions so that all of the best possible candidates can appear on the ballot, and each of us turned out to vote in every primary and general election for which we are eligible, perhaps we could all enjoy more responsive government at every level. Charles Rosner, the renowned advertiser and marketer once said, “[i]f you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”
I sincerely hope that next year, all of us are part of the solution.
Michael Olney
Great Neck
