Petition Instructions

Directions for Circulating Petition

1. You must be at least 18 years of age. However, if you are 17 years old and will be 18 by the date of the General Election, and you are a U.S. citizen, you may also circulate this petition.

2. You may circulate this petition regardless of whether you have ever voted.

3. You must personally witness all the signatures that are made on this petition - no exceptions.

4. You may circulate this petition to voters anywhere in the State of Illinois.

5. You may also sign this petition if you are a registered voter.

6. Petitions with fewer than 10 names do count. If you are not able to fill an entire petition, send in the partially completed petition. Every signature counts.

7. If you learn a signature is not valid, do not worry. Bad signatures do not knock out other good signatures or invalidate the petition. HOWEVER, known bad signatures should be brought to the attention of the Parents Matter Coalition, so that they can be deleted. A circulator who recklessly and routinely disregards the signature gathering rules may have an entire sheet stricken even though some signatures are valid.

8. You must sign as the circulator of the petition before a Notary Public licensed in Illinois and the Notary Public must affix his/her seal or stamp. Most banks and libraries will notarize free of charge. Do not sign the circulator’s affidavit until you are seated in front of a notary – no exceptions.

9. DO NOT write inside the Ballot Advisory Question Box or check a "YES" or "NO" box; and DO NOT number the petition pages. Theses actions will invalidate your entire signature petition page.

 

Directions for Signing Petition

1. You must be a registered voter in the State of Illinois. You need not have voted in any prior election.

2. You must sign your name as you are registered to vote. For example, William E. Jones, not Bill Jones.

3. DO NOT use ditto marks for any part of an address or county.

4. You must use your complete address where you are registered to vote. Post Office boxes are not acceptable.

5. You may sign only once. You cannot sign another person’s name, even a family member, on a petition.