We brought together seasoned practitioners for a panel discussion to learn from their insights and experience with implementing petitions. Drawing from that webinar and our expertise, this article distills practical advice and strategies to help you navigate the process of integrating Petitions into your community engagement strategy.
What is a petition?
At its core, a petition is a formal mechanism through which residents can submit ideas, initiatives, or suggestions to their local government for consideration. These often address community needs, fill policy gaps, or introduce creative solutions that might not emerge from traditional top-down planning.
The term "petition," however, is far from universal and varies not only across countries but even within regions of the same nation. What one municipality refers to as a "petition" might be called a "citizen initiative," an "initiative," or even a "proposal" elsewhere.
This diversity in naming also reflects the localised nature of the process and the different traditions of participatory democracy worldwide. Regardless of the terminology, the underlying principle remains the same.
Understanding why petitions are such a powerful tool
Before diving into the how-to of implementing petitions, let’s quickly recap why they are such a powerful engagement method and why they’re worth the effort to implement effectively.
- Empower your community members to fill policy gaps
Petitions allow residents to leverage their lived experiences and unique insights, giving them the opportunity to submit ideas and initiatives that address what matters most to them. Moreover, this bottom-up approach fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility, leading to more engaged and invested communities. - Incentivise community members to visit your engagement website regularly
Launching a petitions campaign gives residents a reason to come back to your participation platform. This increased traffic boosts platform visibility, offering a larger, more engaged audience for future initiatives, strengthening communication channels, and deepening connections with the community. - Build trust & transparency
Trust in government is strengthened when community members feel they have a genuine say in the decisions that affect them. By offering a transparent process for petitions, you show your commitment to listening and responding to your community’s needs, which builds legitimacy for your policies.
Our CEO and Co-Founder, Wietse Van Ransbeeck, shared more insights on the benefits of citizen petitions. Be sure to check it out!
Common myths about petitions
Despite their benefits, several myths about petitions can create hesitancy around implementing them. Here are some common misconceptions — and the reality behind them.
Myth 1: “Petitions are just another bureaucratic step”
Many stakeholders worry that proposals will add unnecessary layers of complexity and red tape to already stretched resources. The perception is that petitions equal a cumbersome process, a channel by which community members can complain, leading to more meetings and lengthy documentation.
While, in fact, a good digital engagement solution for petitions today should be able to streamline the process and enable you to quickly turn it into actionable insights. By providing a structured and transparent method for residents to submit their ideas, proposals eliminate ambiguity and ensure that suggestions reach the right departments efficiently.
Go Vocal’s engagement platform, for example, has features like customisable forms, status updates, and automatic notifications to make the process even more user-friendly for both community members and staff. This way, valuable feedback is captured without getting lost in bureaucratic hurdles.
Myth 2: “Only a few people will participate”
There’s often a fear that launching a petitions campaign will result in minimal engagement, especially if residents feel disconnected or skeptical about their ideas being taken seriously. Local governments worry about investing in a platform only to have it sit idle due to lack of interest. The assumption is that only a small, vocal minority will participate, leaving the tool underused.
Evidence shows that, when promoted effectively, petitions can drive significant community engagement. For instance, in Copenhagen, their first proposal campaign attracted over 12,000 residents within just four months. The key to driving participation is making the process accessible, transparent, and engaging.
By promoting the tool through multiple channels — social media, newsletters, events — and making it easy for residents to submit their ideas, you can foster a community of engaged participants.
Myth 3: “Petitions are hard to manage”
Implementing a petitions system may seem daunting if you’re already managing tight schedules and limited resources. Concerns include handling an influx of submissions, reviewing them for feasibility, and ensuring a transparent process from start to finish. Staff may worry that managing this tool will require additional training, time, and effort.
Platforms like Go Vocal are designed to simplify the management of petitions. With features like customisable workflows, AI-assisted data analysis, and integrated reporting, the platform allows you to handle petitions from submission to implementation seamlessly. Additionally, pre-screening tools and automated notifications reduce the burden on staff, while dashboards help track progress and analyse trends.
Myth 4: “Petitions set unrealistic expectations”
A common concern among local governments is that inviting petitions from residents will lead to unrealistic or unfeasible demands, causing frustration when those ideas cannot be implemented. This misconception stems from a fear of raising community expectations too high, only to fall short when budgets, policies, or other constraints come into play.
In reality, proper expectation management is a cornerstone of any successful petitions campaign. By clearly communicating the scope, criteria, and decision-making process at the outset, you can help residents understand what’s achievable. Transparency is key: residents are more likely to appreciate the constraints if they’re informed about them upfront.
Solution: Platforms like Go Vocal offer built-in tools to support expectation management. For example, the platform allows you to set clear criteria for petition submissions, provide real-time status updates, and communicate reasons for approval or rejection transparently. Additionally, features like FAQs, explainer videos, and participatory workshops can help clarify the process and align expectations before petitions are submitted.
5 steps to implementing petitions effectively
Now that we’ve covered why petitions are so valuable, let’s look at how to implement them successfully. The most important piece of advice we can give you: take a phased, manageable approach.
1. Get internal buy-in by emphasising the “why”
Use the points above to convey the value of petitions to your leadership and departments. When decision-makers understand that proposals strengthen community trust, enhance transparency, and spark innovation, they’re more likely to support this engagement initiative.
2. Select a pilot department or topic
Instead of rolling out petitions organisation-wide immediately, start small. This phased approach allows your team to validate assumptions, iron out any issues, and build upon early success.
A phased approach also takes away – or at least reduces – concerns about the level of commitment and time required. Starting with a manageable trial reduces pressure on staff and provides an opportunity to refine workflows through trial and error. Departments can see firsthand how petitions work in practice, addressing any initial doubts and building confidence in the process before expanding further.
For instance, it’s best to start with one topic or department, like mobility, for a focused trial and communicate it this way to your community. Mobility, for instance, is often highly visible and impacts daily lives, making it ideal for early engagement.
Involve only the department managing the topic you selected to keep the process manageable and set a foundation for other departments to learn from.
“At first, some departments were hesitant because they thought it would add too much to their workload. But once they saw the positive interactions with citizens, it shifted their mindset.”
– Franz Gregor Winkler, Innovation Manager at City of Linz
3. Assign roles and responsibilities
Defining clear roles is essential for ensuring a smooth implementation of the Petitions method, both during the pilot phase and as you scale across departments.
When you're just starting out, focus on assigning a few key roles to keep the process efficient and manageable:
- Project lead: Oversees the entire proposals initiative, ensuring that timelines are met, and roadblocks are addressed. Responsible for coordinating between departments, managing the project timeline, and reporting progress to leadership.
- Community engagement officer: Handles communication with residents, ensuring their questions are answered and their participation is encouraged. Monitors community feedback, responds to queries, and provides updates on proposal statuses.
- Department head (for the pilot topic): Acts as the subject-matter expert for the chosen pilot topic (e.g., mobility). Reviews incoming proposals for feasibility and alignment with departmental priorities.
These roles ensure that your pilot remains focused and efficient while also gathering valuable insights to refine the process for future phases.
Creating a visualisation of these roles and responsibilities at different stages can help clarify the structure and expectations for each team member. This flowchart can serve as a guide for onboarding new departments as the proposals initiative expands.
4. Define the participation rules and process
Setting up a clear process for resident petitions ensures that participation is meaningful, transparent, and aligned with your community’s needs. Follow these steps to define the rules and streamline how you leverage this participation method:
Step 1: Establish clear eligibility criteria
Begin by defining what makes a petition eligible. This helps guide residents to submit ideas that are relevant and feasible, ensuring they align with your community’s goals. Clearly outline these criteria in your project description to set expectations upfront.Typical eligibility criteria include:
- The petition must fall within the local government’s authority.
- It must not discriminate based on gender, race, age, or any protected category.
- The petition should not cause harm or infringe on others' rights.
- It must be feasible within the available budget.
- It should be achievable within a practical timeline.
- It should not duplicate existing plans or overlap with other proposals.
Additionally, Go Vocal’s platform offers the option to require residents to seek co-sponsors for their petitions. This feature helps filter out less supported or lower-priority ideas, allowing your team to focus on petitions that have substantial community backing. This not only improves efficiency but also ensures that the initiatives reaching your review process are those that matter most.
Step 2: Set a threshold for advancing petitions
To move petitions forward, define a voting threshold that a petition must reach to advance to the next stage. Starting with a lower threshold — such as 50 votes within 30 days — can encourage early participation, especially in the pilot phase. As awareness and engagement grow, gradually increase the threshold to maintain momentum.
Example: In the initial phase, start with a low threshold to stimulate engagement. As more residents get involved, you can adjust the threshold to reflect higher participation levels.
Step 3: Define what happens after reaching the threshold
Once a petition meets the required number of votes, it’s crucial to communicate what happens next. Outline this process clearly in your project description so residents know what to expect. Possible next steps include:
- Council presentation: Invite the author(s) to present their idea at the next council meeting for an official response.
- Expert review: Arrange for feedback from internal experts to assess feasibility.
- Internal referral: Forward the petition to the appropriate department for consideration.
- Support services: Offer logistical, financial, or communication assistance to help implement the idea.
Step 4: Communicate about the progress
To manage the petition process internally and keep residents informed, you can assign statuses to each petition based on its current phase in Go Vocal’s platform. This helps ensure transparency and lets participants see how their ideas are making an impact on policy-making. Regular updates and closing the feedback loop plays a vital role in building trust and support and motivating community members to participate in future consultation processes.
“It’s all about communication and transparency... residents need to know not only that their petition was received, but also where it stands and what’s happening next.”
- Stephanie McAuley, Community Partnership Officer at Falkirk Council
5. Expand to more topics and departments
Once the pilot has demonstrated the effectiveness of petition, begin rolling it out to other topics and departments. Housing, environment, and public health are natural next steps for broader community impact. This phased expansion standardises processes and allows departments to adopt a uniform way of managing petitions. Training sessions and clear expectations for each team will ensure consistency in how petitions are managed, fostering an inclusive and participatory culture organisation-wide.
“The goal is not just to get participation but to build trust. That’s why closing the loop with community members is essential. We really like that we can give feedback really well through the Petitions feature on the Go Vocal platform."
– Stephanie McAuley, Community Partnership Officer at Falkirk Council at Falkirk Council
The importance of tooling
The attentive reader will have noticed that throughout this article, we’ve touched upon several crucial features needed to make the petitions process as user-friendly as possible for both staff and residents.
Functionalities like clear, intuitive submission forms, the ability to easily onboard colleagues and assign them the appropriate access rights, and structured moderation and review workflows are not just nice-to-haves. They all ensure that petitions are handled efficiently, without bottlenecks or confusion.
Go Vocal offers everything to set you up for success. From an intuitive space for residents to propose, support, and discuss initiatives to a strong back-end that gives you valuable insights into what truly matters to your community. Check out our video or discover the feature in-depth on this page.
Conclusion
Implementing petitions offers an invaluable opportunity to make your policy and decision-making more participatory, responsive, and inclusive. By getting internal buy-in, taking a phased approach, setting realistic thresholds, and visualising the roles involved at each stage, your government can lay a strong foundation for lasting community engagement.
Want to learn more about how petitions could work in your local context? Contact us - we'd love to help you get started!
