Petitioning in the USA

---

 Petitioning played a major role in early American political life, including campaigns to abolish slavery. In the 19th century, petitions were routinely submitted to Congress, read into the record, and referred to committees. 

 In 2011, the Obama administration launched the "We the People" platform on the White House website. It allowed citizens to submit petitions and receive official responses if certain signature thresholds were met. As of January 2021, the "We the People" platform has been discontinued. The website now redirects to the main White House homepage. No official replacement has been introduced.

 Third-party platforms (e.g., Change.org – see below) remain popular, though these carry no formal obligation for government response.

 As early as the 13th century, subjects petitioned the monarch for redress of grievances. By the 17th century, the right to petition Parliament was affirmed—most notably in 1669, when the House of Commons declared it an inherent right of every commoner in England to prepare and present petitions in case of grievance. The 18th and 19th centuries saw widespread political mobilisation through petitions, such as those advocating the abolition of slavery or electoral reform. 

 Since 2015, the UK Parliament has hosted an official e-petitions platform: petition.parliament.uk. It allows UK residents and citizens to create and sign petitions online. The process is managed by the Petitions Committee, composed of MPs, who determine the official response or whether to recommend the petition for debate. 

• Creation: Petitions must be clear, relevant to government or parliament.
• Publication: Once approved, the petition is live for six months.
• 10,000 Signatures: Government must issue a formal written response.
• 100,000 Signatures: The petition is considered for debate in Parliament.
• Petitions can be on local or national issues.

Reaching the thresholds does not guarantee legislative change, but it ensures formal recognition and the possibility of further scrutiny.

 The influence of petitions varies. Their primary value lies in visibility and transparency, acting as a pressure point. Usually action is only taken if the petition is easy for government. For e.g., (true story) it created debates on the puppy market and a change of legislation on this. Lots of petitions are pointless / misdirected. E.g. largest current petition is a request for a general election – something the government obviously aren’t going to do.