Direct Democracy is Real Democracy
People have the power of the Initiative petition to make laws when out-of-touch politicians won't.
CIRCULATOR ACCESS GUIDELINES
Circulator Access Guidelines
The law allows petitioners to circulate petitions on streets, sidewalks, exterior courtyards, parks, and walkways that carry public pedestrian traffic (whether to government buildings or private businesses open to the public).
These places are common areas open to the public and as such Petition enjoy liberal freedoms of movement and the protected right to communicate and engage the public in public, but as a petitioner your right to stand your ground to engage the public ends at the point when you trespass on or in private property, including privately owned stores open to the buying, or public obstruct the freedom of others to move freely and without being forced to engage with you in a tangible way, which is a right all passersby have that is just as important as your constitutional right to be there where you are is their right.
Try to leave people who are entering buildings with a great impression of you, so that there are no legitimate complaints and spread goodwill instead of bad. As a petitioner, you are the public face of our petition drive, and your conduct will have a direct effect on whether public officials and private property owners welcome your presence.
It is important that we do not cause disturbances or act in ways that people will perceive as offensive, even if they are not meant to be. Disturbances or offensive conduct will only provide an excuse for local governments to impose “time, place and manner” restrictions on petition circulators. If you aspire to protect the right to engage in core political speech at locations of your choosing, this means you will conduct yourself carefully and with humility. Be courteous, not too loud, and well-groomed with a neat appearance.
If you run into any difficulty with law enforcement officials who attempt to impede your ability to circulate petitions, please don’t go to jail for us. Comply if law enforcement will not listen to your explanation, or let you show him these guidelines. Call or text the help center line and leave a message with the details of the encounter, including the officer’s name and badge number, the details of the encounter including the specific location, and your name and phone number. Text me at 989.239.9000 in the presence of any public official who is obstructing you.
Never
• Crowd Any Location.
o If your presence may make a location appear crowded, apply the early-bird rule: First petitioner
in time is the first in right. There are now plenty of good locations to hit, so be a team player.
• Do not collect signatures in covered entry ways into buildings or on steps leading into a building.
o Keep a reasonable distance from doors and entryways so that you don’t block anyone’s ability
to enter or leave a building.
• Please stay out of parking lots and driveways.
• Where possible, stay on paved sidewalks or paths, not on grassy areas.
Don’t
• Obstruct traffic
• J-walk, or
• Create any traffic hazards.
• Circulate inside stores or shopping mall hallways without express permission of the owner.
• Engage in or create a disturbance.
o Don’t create a disturbance - ever.
o Even if someone else is causing a problem, move away from the area.
o We do not want to be perceived as the people that cause the problems.
o Don’t waste time arguing or distracting your efforts.
o Argue with any person or even a potential signer – No means Next!
Do
Circulators may seek signatures and be stationary to collect signatures in the following public places:
• Parks
• Streets
• Sidewalks
• Exterior courtyards (but not at outdoor dining establishments)
• Walkways that carry public pedestrian traffic, whether to government buildings or private buildings.
• Areas just outside government offices that are leased in strip malls.
• Libraries
• Post Office.
• Public festivals are all open to petitioner gatherers, except when a ticket area is fenced off for a private commercial or club function at a park area leased to the club. The area leased takes on the attributes of a private store or club for first amendment purposes, and they are first amendment proof.
• There is no rule that says you can’t rent a space from a private owner for a day to seek signatures if the owner is willing. Plant your signs and people will approach you.
Contact Us
Phone 989.799.4641 Text 989.239.9000 email gregschmid@gmail.com
Most township governments banned safe legal local cannabis retail shops, despite the 2018 legalization vote, but evidence shows cannabis stores bring economic benefits to communities without causing community problems. Cannabis sales generate sales taxes, but also generate a 10% marijuana excise tax - “found money” shared only with the local communities that allow cannabis stores. The state just paid out nearly $60,000 for each licensed retail store to 99 cities, 30 villages, 69 townships, plus another $60,000/store to 71 counties where stores are located. $5,000 local permit fees, new jobs, and increased property values also come to town with new cannabis stores. Importantly, community crime indicators in Michigan and across the country show no increase in criminality from marijuana retail stores.
our activities help citizens help themselves
What we do to help @ PETITION HELPDESK ORGANIZATION
All our activities promote our civic mission.
- We develop easy to use legally compliant petition forms for use by anyone with an issue to put before the voters, and post many such forms on line.
- We help customize the petition forms for advocates, and help develop effective language for the issue to be placed before the voters.
- We troubleshoot issue advocacy for unintended consequences and undesirable election issues, and identify sources of opposition.
- We assist in establishing a Ballot Question Committee for petition advocates, and teach them to navigate campaign finance reporting requirements.
- We help determine petition signature requirements and legal procedural requirements for gaining ballot access at the state or local level.
- We obtain voter walklists for door to door canvassing and petitioin gathering.
- We help guage and inform public opinion by facilitating door-to-door and other methods of canvassing.
- We provide equipment, communications, methods, and assistance for petition gathering teams, including walk-lists, petitioner uniforms/badges, signs, petition boards, pens, and provider contracting.
- We help facilitate petition turn-ins to the appropriate filing officials.
- We facilitate mandamus actions in court to compel officials to place an issue on the ballot when those officials wrogfully refuse to certify the petitions or ballot language.
our Mission is helping empower citizens
helping is our mission @ PETITION HELPDESK ORGANIZATION
Our mission is to promote social welfare within the meaning of section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, including but not limited to:
- conducting scholarly research and active issue advocacy regarding best practices and innovations empowering the people promulgating public policies in the community at large, including individuals, families, law enforcement, lawmakers, regulators, employers, and others, and
- providing people with information and assistance regarding the state initiative process in Michigan and elsewhere for citizen initiated initiative constitutional amendment proposals and statutory initiatives, use of city charter amendment and charter based initiative ordinance proposals, and statewide application of municipal initiated ordinance powers found in state laws for specific subject matter, and
- publishing studies to educate individuals, the public, and policy makers concerning initiative process related issues, and
- developing programs and initiative advocating for legislation, regulations, and government programs to improve public policy and the use of initiative petitions to allow the politically disaffected people to advocate for public policy change by means of direct democracy, and
The organization does not participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office as its primary purpose.