Petitions and Surveys

Petitions have a time-honored place in our world. They are an important means of communicating public sentiment to elected officials.

Suspicion:

But I am suspicious of the credibility and weight that should be given to petitions (or surveys, for that matter). Their meaning must be evaluated carefully to address the following questions:

Was the petition (or survey) written "artfully" so that the reaction of a reasonable person would be to sign the petition without further thought? (Most are.)
Did the petition-bearer describe the petition so that the reaction of a reasonable person would be to sign the petition without further thought and without regard to the words in the petition or even without reading the petition? (Many do.)
Would an informed person who carefully considered the words in the petition itself -- without regard to the oral description given by the petition-bearer -- sign it? (Many likely would not.)

Dilemma:

I cannot answer those questions.
I am challenged to decide whether it represents the majority view of an informed group of people answering a balanced question.

Effectiveness:

There is no question but that petitions can be effective, if blunt, tools in achieving the objectives of a group of people.

Advice:

My advice to West Windsor residents who value my reaction to a petition is to find a way to address the questions above.

The best way to do that is to "put me on the spot" and ask me to assess your petition and what you intend to say about it before you go to all the trouble of collecting signatures.