Important: Before gathering signatures, please read the 2-page Instructions for Signature Gatherers. Note in particular that (1) you must ask each signer “Would you like a sticker with more information?”; (2) if any signer adds their email address next to their signature, you must email us immediately at info@DarnAir.org with the signer’s email address so that we can send them additional information as required by law; and (3) each signature must be dated, and each signature packet must be turned in within 30 days of the date of the first signature in that packet.

Event Calendars and Roadmap: Here’s the overall campaign timeline, here’s the monthly roadmap, and here are event calendars for:

Background: To qualify for the ballot we need to gather signatures from 8% of active voters statewide (about 150,000 signatures), plus that same 8% target in 26 of the 29 state senate districts. Here is our initial Signature Gathering Plan with additional details about the senate districts.

Below is an overview of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of signature-gathering in Utah. (Plus a guide to turning in signatures!) Please don’t hesitate to send questions or comments via our comments page or to info@DarnAir.org:

Who: You! (As long as you’re a Utah resident 18+ years old)

According to state law, signatures have to be signed in the presence of a signature-gatherer who:

  • is 18+ years old;
  • is a Utah resident, and preferably a registered voter in Utah for easy confirmation of residency;
  • has signed the Petitioner’s Declaration on the last page of each petition packet; and
  • has not signed their own name on a petition packet that they are circulating (other than on the Petitioner’s Declaration of course). So: Sign your own name on someone else’s petition packet!

What: Signature-gathering (and not most other things!)

Signature-gathering is like panning for gold, the gold in this case being the signatures we need to qualify for the ballot. That’s the gold we’re looking for, so keep your eyes on the prize and remember what signature-gathering is about and what it is not about:

  • Signature-gathering is not about voter education. Voters will have forgotten your conversation by the time the election rolls around, and there will be plenty of time for voter education after we get on the ballot.
  • Signature-gathering is not about the intricate details of the bill. If somebody wants the details of the bill, hand them a petition packet to read or point them toward the website: DarnAir.org. All you need to say (even if you know all the intricate details!) is, “Sorry, I’m just a volunteer, and I’m here to collect signatures because I care about air quality and climate change.”
  • Signature-gathering is definitely not about arguing about the bill. Getting in an argument will take up your time and sap your energy. As the old line goes about why you shouldn’t mud-wrestle with a pig, you’ll both get dirty and only the pig will like it.

Signature-gathering is really only about one thing: gathering signatures! And, as noted above, it’s like panning for gold. Every once in a while as you’re panning for gold you’ll find a diamond, i.e., someone who shares your passion and wants to volunteer for the campaign. (If that happens: Great! Point them toward the website or give them your contact information or otherwise make sure they can get in the loop.) But most of the time you’ll find a bunch of gravel—all the people who walk by pretending not to notice you, who tell you they’re not interested, etc.—and in the midst of that you’ll find gold nuggets sprinkled here and there. It’s really a numbers game: put the time in and don’t get distracted and you’ll hit your target!

When: The sooner the better!

There are three important timing issues to keep in mind:

  1.  Each signature must be dated, and—according to state law—each petition packet must be turned in to the local county clerk no later than 30 days after the date of the first signature in that packet (e.g., Aug 3 for a packet with signatures starting July 4). Please coordinate with the campaign and please don’t cut it close because packets will be discarded (per 20A-7-206(1)(b)) if they’re turned in more than 30 days after the date of the first signature in that packet! (But if you do cut it close then keep in mind that you get until the next business day if the 30 days ends on a weekend or a holiday.)
  2. Early signatures are worth more than late signatures. There’s a rolling window for processing signatures: a packet’s signatures must be validated by the county clerk (i.e., matched with a registered voter who hasn’t signed a previous petition packet) no more than 21 days after the packet is submitted, and then there’s a 90-day window before the signature is locked in. (During that 90-day window a voter can request to have their name removed from the petition, potentially leading to Count My Vote-style mischief.) So: the earlier we turn in signatures the earlier they’ll be validated and locked in.
  3. W Nov 22 is the final date to submit signatures. That’s 316 days after our filing date of Jan 10.

Where: Public places (and of course friends and family)

You’re encouraged to bring a petition packet with you wherever you go—you never know who you’ll run into!—but here are three good rules for where to gather signatures from the general public:

  1. The ideal place for public signature-gathering is a park or sidewalk location with lots of folks standing around waiting: in a line to get into a movie or a concert or a stadium, people hanging out at a park or dog park, waiting for a parade to start, etc. Instead of interrupting them, you will be doing them a favor by giving them something to do to pass the time (other than look at their phones :)
  2. You can try to gather signatures just about anywhere as long as you’re standing in a publicly-owned public place: on a sidewalk, in a park, on the campus of a state-run university, at a county courthouse, by the DMV, etc. (See below for special rules about state liquor stores.) If you’re not sure, a good rule of thumb is to think about somebody playing the guitar or panhandling: if they’re allowed to be there then so are you!
  3. If you come from the school of better-to-ask-for-forgiveness-rather-than-ask-for-permission, you can try to gather signatures anywhere, but you may be asked to leave if you’re on commercial property: in a mall, for example, or near the entrance to a post office or grocery store that has its own parking lot. (This category also includes places like fairgrounds or Trax/Frontrunner platforms that require ID or payment.) You’re basically on your own here, but the best advice we can offer is to be friendly and be careful: if someone asks you to leave—even if you think you’re legally allowed to be there—then be friendly and comply, and of course come ask the campaign if you have any questions.
  4. There are special rules about state liquor stores. As at other publicly-owned places, you are allowed to collect signatures, but formally you need to go through a rather cumbersome process to get a permit. Please coordinate with the campaign about this, but our suggestion is that we get the permit the first few times around, introduce ourselves to the store staff, follow their instructions, and be friendly. We may need to continue getting permits throughout the campaign, or if we demonstrate that we’re nice and not ruining anybody’s shopping experience then we may be able to gather signatures there even without a specific permit, or with just one permit a week. (Without a specific permit we’re back in category #3 above though, so be friendly and be careful!)

Why: To qualify our measure for the ballot

This is a good moment to stop and reiterate our goal. It’s not debating, or arguing, or even educating; it’s getting the signatures we need to qualify for the ballot!

How: Tried and true suggestions for public signature gathering

These suggestions—they are just suggestions, you do as you see fit!—mostly come directly or indirectly from the world’s expert at volunteer signature-gathering campaigns, Katherine Bragdon of Active Roots Consulting. (Any shortcomings are of course our own.)

  1. Watch this 10 minute video. It’s Katherine Bragdon doing a training for a different campaign, in a different state, so the details aren’t always relevant… but the big picture is the same!
  2. Pick good times and locations. You can try gathering signatures anywhere and anytime, but we’ll be posting lists of events that should be especially promising. (Basically, events with lots of folks in a public place, like 4th of July Parades or liquor stores on weekday evenings and on Saturdays.)
  3. Use your signboard as a shield and as an advertisement. Especially if you’re shy, your signboard (which we will provide you with, it’s 2 x 3 feet and looks like this) pretty much says it all. It’s your opening line, it tells people what you’re there for, and it’s a barrier that you can use if you encounter any grumps.
  4. Engage, engage, engage. Very few people want to take 30 seconds to interact with a stranger with a clipboard, so if you’re passive and give them an easy out then they’ll take it. You have to be active and put yourself out there. All you need to do make eye contact, smile, and ask your “pick-up line”.
  5. Two simple pick-up lines are “Have you signed yet?” and “Are you a registered voter here in Utah?” The signboard tells them the “what”, so all you need to do is be friendly and engage. These two questions are ones you should definitively ask at some point, but if you want to try a different pick-up line then go ahead!
  6. Carry two or three petition packets. The best time to get someone to sign is when someone else is already signing. Take advantage of that time to show your signboard to others and encourage them to sign as well.
  7. Aim for 20-25 signatures per hour. That’s a reasonable target, so if you’re falling short of that target then please contact the campaign so we can talk about it… and if you’re exceeding that target then please tell us your secrets! PS. If you can gather 25 signatures per hour, you’ve only got to put in 10 hours (5 2-hour shifts) to join the 250 Club of folks who have gathered 25o signatures!
  8. Bring water and snacks and sunscreen. More generally, take care of yourself while you’re out gathering!
  9. Try to have fun. If you’re going to be in the 250 Club (folks who have gathered 25o signatures), you’ve got to find a way to make this sustainable. As Katherine Bragdon says, you should treat signature gathering like a fascinating sociological experiment. Share your stories with other volunteers and with the campaign, and know that you’re doing important work!
  10. Lower your expectations. Think about your own experiences when you’ve been asked to sign ballot measure petitions (or postcards to “protect public lands”, etc). You probably don’t remember all that much, and most of the time you were probably too busy to pay any attention at all. Now you’re on the other side of the clipboard, but the dynamics of the interaction are the same: Most people are just going to walk right past you, and that’s okay! You’re panning for gold, so don’t let the gravel get you down!

Thank you! And of course feedback is always welcome, about this post, about the campaign, about your experience, etc.

PS. Guide to Turning In The Darn Signatures

Here’s what you need to know…. please read carefully!

  1. Each signature must be dated, and—according to state law—each petition packet must be turned in to the local county clerk no later than 30 days after the date of the first signature in that packet (e.g., Aug 5 for a packet with signatures starting July 6). If that 30-day window ends on a weekend or holiday then it extends until the next business day. Packets with dates beyond that 30-day window will be discarded in their entirety, so please don’t cut it close and please do contact the campaign if this becomes a problem. (There may be a partial solution, e.g., tearing out pages that are “too old” in order to salvage the rest of the packet. Also if the 30 days ends on a weekend or holiday then you may have until the next business day… but again please don’t cut it close!)
  2. The easiest path (and the one we strongly recommend) is for you to turn in your packets to your chapter leader or a campaign leader and then they can submit them to the relevant county clerk. However, if you want to turn them in yourself then please check with your chapter leader or campaign leaders before turning in signature packets so there are no mistakes. Thank you! (Note in particular that each packet gets a number, which in our case is handwritten on the bottom of the first page; that number must be unique, i.e., there will be problems if we turn in two packets with the same number. That’s unlikely, but we have a spreadsheet to track all the packets and we want to identify and correct any problems before the packets are submitted, at which point it becomes too late.)

If you’re going to turn in your packets to your chapter leader or a campaign leader for them to submit to the county clerk:

  1. Please check that each signature has a date, and fill in the date as needed for any rows with a missing date.
  2. On the first page of each packet, please enter the name of the county or counties where you collected the signatures. Also please tally up the rough number of signatures in each packet and put that tally number on the top of the first page of the packet. (Put it under the name of the county, and tell the county clerk that you’ve put that tally there because it may save them some work.)
  3. Please email the campaign (info@DarnAir.org) with the packet number and the rough number of signatures in each packet.
  4. Please fill out the last page of the packet: enter (again) the name of the county where you collected the signatures, then print your name and the county you live in, then your name (again) and your address—so they can verify that you’re a Utah voter, please contact the campaign ASAP if you’re not a registered Utah voter!—and the date on which you’re turning in the packet. The date should be on or after the date accompanying the last signature in the packet. Note that there’s no space for a signature, but you’re welcome to sign if desired.
  5. That’s it! But remember: Each signature must be dated, and—according to state law—each petition packet must be turned in to the local county clerk no later than 30 days after the date of the first signature in that packet (e.g., Aug 5 for a packet with signatures starting July 6). If that 30-day window ends on a weekend or holiday then it extends until the next business day. Please don’t cut it close, and please do contact us with questions or suggestions!

If you’re submitting to the county clerk:

  1. As long as there’s time before the turn-in deadline, please email info@DarnAir.org one or two days before you turn in the packet with the following information for each packet: the date you’re going to turn in the packet, the packet number (which is handwritten on the bottom of the first page), and the number of signatures in that packet. If there’s no time before the turn-in deadline then do this afterwards, but if you do it beforehand then we can make sure that everything looks good (e.g., that nobody else has turned in a packet with the same number previously, etc.).
  2. Regardless of where you collected the signatures, submit each packet to the county that is the county of residence for many of the voters who signed the packet; if there’s a roughly even split then you can choose based on convenience, or follow our recommendation and turn packets in to the clerk of the county with the largest population. (That prioritizes Salt Lake County, and we’ve heard informally that the Salt Lake County elections folks work extra hard to validate each address. But we’ve heard good things about elections officials throughout the state, so don’t worry about this too much.)
  3. Each packet must be turned in to the office of the county clerk or other elections official. In Salt Lake County it’s the elections office in the south building of the county complex on 2100 S and State St in SLC. In Weber County it’s the elections office at 2380 Washington Blvd in Ogden (first floor, room 115, ring the door bell to be let in).
  4. Please check that each signature has a date, and fill in the date as needed for any rows with a missing date.
  5. When you turn in a packet you’ll get a receipt from the county clerk that should contain  packet numbers and the number of signatures in each packet. Please check to make sure the information is correct, especially that the packet numbers are correct. (We’ve already found and corrected one typo about this.)
  6. Please take a photo of the receipt and send it to us at info@DarnAir.org. If the receipt doesn’t include the packet numbers and the number of signatures in each packet, please add that information. 
  7. That’s it! But remember: Each signature must be dated, and—according to state law—each petition packet must be turned in to the local county clerk no later than 30 days after the date of the first signature in that packet (e.g., Aug 5 for a packet with signatures starting July 6). If that 30-day window ends on a weekend or holiday then it extends until the next business day. Please don’t cut it close, and please do contact us with questions or suggestions!