Do petitions make a difference?

[RKP5637]

I'm starting to get the endless petitions in email for this or that and donate to support the cause. Do you think petitions make a difference? I'm inclined to think they often fall on deaf ears, I guess.
I'm in the "maybe" category.

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[PoliticAverse]

1. To the people that put the responders on mailing lists they do. n/t

[RKP5637]

12. Petitions for dollars!!! Yep! n/t

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. If you want more emails begging for donations, sure.

Otherwise, I doubt it.

[RKP5637]

11. Yep, Email spawning! n/t

[nycbos]

3. Here' what online petitions are like.

[RKP5637]

10. LOL!!! Preparing to prepare to prepare!!!

[JHan]

13. Yo............. LMAO.....

[MiniMe]

4. IMHO, it is only a way to get your email address

And then they sell your email; address and you get spammed by junk mail. Most of the things that I see for a "petition" always require your email address, and I refuse to give it

[RKP5637]

9. Yep! n/t

[pinboy3niner]

5. Some do, but most are just fundraising gimmicks. nt

[RKP5637]

7. Especially the ones that appear out of nowhere, none you've heard of, well written, and request a

donation at the end.

[pinboy3niner]

14. In '04 I marched with Rep. John Lewis to deliver petitions to Ohio SoS Ken Blackwell

It made a statement, even if Blackwell was unlikely to back down on voter suppression.

But a lot of the online petitions I see are poorly-written and sometimes ignorant about the authorities involved and their powers.

[RKP5637]

15. I much prefer the emails saying there are millions waiting for me in banking funds and they

just found me, "but yet" they need all of my information!

[brooklynite]

6. Email petitions are flypaper to collect information about you for future fundraising requests...

...if you care enough about an issue to "sign" a petition, care enough to write your own letter in your own words to your own elected officials.

[RKP5637]

8. That's what I've done in the past and in one case I do think it swayed my rep's mind. He came

completely around on a topic he had been against. I was just in the right mood, pros/cons, as I discussed his line of thinking. After this election, I've gotten a huge influx of petitions I auto-route into my delete-consideration file.

[MyOwnPeace]

16. And "congrats!" to you...........

I've become so cynical that I don't expect anyone in any office to listen to me unless some $$$ has been ahead of me upon entry........

Truly, I'm not being a "wise-a$$" - I wonder how much any of us can do anymore.........

[RKP5637]

17. Frankly, now, money is the only thing that counts in this fucken country. It's not about

people unless they have a wad of money in hand! The majority of people in the US are headed for a very rude awakening.

[MineralMan]

18. No, except for collecting contact information

for later fundraising. Otherwise they are ignored completely.

[loyalsister]

19. Some do

A petition is what led to the requirement for a photo ID to vote in MO. In states where petitions can get constitutional amendments on ballots, they definitely DO make a sometimes tragic difference.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

20. Petitions that matter are the ones for state referendum ballot questions

Those are actually on paper and they have to get your signature. I'd say anything you didn't put your hand written signature on doesn't matter (i.e. online petitions). I have signed several petitions for referendum questions over the years that have made a big difference already or will make a difference soon (gay marriage, marijuana legalization, money for public schools, minimum wage increases, ranked choice voting).