Most of us have been on campus long enough to have seen people usually with boards, asking any and all passersby to sign. We try not to make eye contact and keep walking, but if they do catch your eye, they end up quickly trying to explain their aim. Saying things like “Sign to pass laws that tax billionaires” or “Give to the less fortunate,” using buzzwords that tug at our heartstrings, or we just feel bad to say no to someone who is coming up to us with a smile.
Whatever the case may be, we find ourselves signing things we don’t really know much about while just trying to get to class. Who are these people? Why do they come to campus so much, and do they even really care about the petitions they have us sign?
According to the writers at Ballotpedia, “A paid signature gatherer is a person who is paid by the supporters of a ballot measure or candidate to gather signatures for a petition. Pay-per-signature is a method of compensating signature gatherers who collect signatures for ballot initiatives. The method involves paying signature gatherers at a rate based on the number of signatures collected.” There are also volunteer positions, but if you ask a petitioner around campus if they’re getting paid, they’ll answer honestly. All that I’ve personally gone up to have said they are getting paid.
The people we see usually pre-rehearse a script given to them. Most are just trying to work a job to get some quick cash, and since colleges are full of new adults who want to help, they are ideal places for petitioners who are trying to gather signatures.
We spoke to a second-year biology student, Xochitl Martinez, who said, “I’m okay with helping out with one or two, but then it turns into three, four, five, six, and it’s like, alright, bro, I have stuff to do.” That seems to be the overall sentiment. Most people are okay with helping, and they don’t blame the petitioners for being out there trying to make a couple of bucks; it’s just a nuisance when some people feel like they’re being pushed to sign more and more while in a hurry.
This seems to be an ongoing problem on many college campuses. With a quick Google search, I found articles from Cal Poly Pomona, El Camino College, and Viewpoints from 2014. So it’s nothing new, but it may be the first time some of our students have encountered it. In the El Camino College article, The Union Editorial board calls for “Stricter regulations than there currently are because of how frequently petitioners harass students on campus for signatures.”
I’m not trying to knock anyone’s hustle. I’m sure many of us understand people have a job to do, but I do want students to know that, in fact, just a hustle. If you have time and energy to sign and read through what you’re signing, there’s no harm in it, but the problem I hear most from fellow students is that they sometimes feel pressured or guilt-tripped into it. They really just don’t know what they’re signing or how it’s helping the cause the petitioner is claiming, which is a problem.
The rule of thumb is, if you’re feeling uncomfortable and are being pressed to make a quick decision, just say no. You can always come back to it if you change your mind.
