Signature campaign
The signature campaign is a political instrument. The collection of signatures for a petition or a call itself draws attention to the respective concern, the handing over of the signature to the recipient of the call is again a reason for reporting.
Signature campaigns are part of the repertoire of action of the new social movements and citizens' initiatives , but are also used outside of these.
The signature campaign serves as a political means to draw attention to grievances which, in the opinion of those who collect signatures, are not sufficiently noticed by ruling politicians or other decision-makers. With the means of the signature campaign, controversial decisions, legislative proposals, construction projects etc. can also be discussed. By collecting as large a number of signatures as possible and by presenting the completed signature lists to the public, pressure should be exerted on decision-makers in politics and business.
One example of a successful signature campaign was the CDU / CSU signature campaign against the reform of German citizenship law .
In addition to the traditional way of signing on paper, the signatures can also be collected electronically - so-called e-collecting .