When a registered voter agrees to sign our petition, they are casting a vote for putting our initiative on the ballot. It is your responsibility to ensure that their vote is properly recorded, so that their vote will count.

Q. What makes a signature good?

A. It’s not the signature, it’s the printing!

1. Use permanent blue or black ballpoint pen only.

2. Enter information where indicated, above the lines.

3. Print your information in legible block letters.

4. Use your full name, plus your middle initial.

Learn about hemp and talk about it. Circulate the petition.

You must be a registered voter to collect signatures - but not to explain it or to encourage people to sign.

Make a sign with “The Many Uses of Hemp.” our summary of the bill and “SIGN THE PETITION” in large print.

Have lots of pens. Select a public site with steady foot traffic. Insist on your legal right to petition.

Bring an ironing board or table, a few long clipboards or strong cardboard backings to write on, lots of our literature, your sign and a separate sheet to sign up volunteers or contacts. A flag never hurts.

Don’t spend too much time talking. It slows you down. Show people the literature. If they want to know more, refer them to an information phone number or talk while you work - but keep collecting signatures.

If anyone wants to help, let them. If they want to argue, tell them, “Thanks for your opinion, but I’m too busy to talk.” If they are persistent, point out that it’s a felony to interfere with the conduct of an election. Threaten to call the police.

Return all filled petitions weekly to your coordinator or drop-off location. Don't wait until you have filled all the petitions before turning them in.

Cannabis Hemp information and resources can be found at our websites:

www.jackherer.com

www.myspace.com/hemp2008

www.myspace.com/hempjack

Please do not photocopy petitions or voter registration cards. To obtain information, please contact your coordinator. Please do not write on the top blank portion of the form. The top one inch and the right hand margin of the initiative also, must be blank to be valid!

Please read these instructions before petitioning and re-read at least once or twice a day after petitioning and you will get it, good petitioning, experientially.

Unless signatures and the printings of the names are collected correctly, they are INVALID!

Your responsibility is to ensure that people’s time is not wasted. If you collect an invalidly printed name on your petition, the person who signed thinks he/she has helped the initiative and, in reality, we have lost a signature.

When asking someone to sign the petition:

Say: “Have you signed the Cannabis Hemp Initiative?” It allows Cannabis Hemp for industrial, medicine and nutritional uses, and for personal use of Cannabis Hemp in private.

Try not to use the word “marijuana.” Try to use the word “Hemp” and explain that “Cannabis” is the plant’s botanical name.

Ask the person if they are currently registered at their present address. Ask if they voted in the last election. If they have moved or did not vote in the last two general elections or cannot recall re-registering, have them register to vote again before signing.

When re-registering people to vote:

Have them PRINT in Capital Block letters. PRINT all numbers clearly also.

Verify that all lines are filled in, or fill in the empty box with a line. Have someone else check your voter registration forms, and mail all forms to the registrar of voters within 48 hours of circulation.

Read back all information to the person ONE LETTER AT A TIME.

Make sure the political party is selected. If they don’t want to select a party, or if they want to register as independent then select the “Decline to State” option. If “other” is selected, make sure that they legibly write in a party (e.g. Green).

Do not accept P.O. boxes as residence addresses. Homeless people can use specific intersections as their address. (The location for a residence address must be a specific place). P.O. boxes are okay for mailing addresses ONLY!

Check the spelling of all names. Simple names are often spelled differently. For example, Jenny can be Jennie or Jeni. Make sure the name is as exactly as it appears on their voter registration card. Which usually means middle names or middle initials are a must!!

Check spelling of streets. Read all numbers back. Make sure you can tell the difference between different numbers. Is it a 7 or a 9? Is it a 3 or an 8? Make sure the zip code is included and clearly written. Make sure they include a date of birth. Make sure they fill in the STATE in which they were born (cities are not sufficient).

HOW TO PROCESS A VALID VOTER REGISTRATION CARD

You as a volunteer must be REGISTERED in the state of California.

All VOTER REGISTRATION CARDS must be mailed within 3 DAYS from the date signed on the voter registration card. (It is a violation of law if the voter registration cards are not mailed or turned in within 3 days of being signed)

First make sure you ask every petition signer if they are registered. If they say yes, confirm that they still live at the address where they last registered and that they have voted within the last 2 years. If they are registered, they can go ahead a fill out the petition. People who aren't registered, have moved, changed names, or haven't voted within 2 years will be required to fill out a voter registration card BEFORE signing the petition.

*WHEN FILLING OUT THE VOTER REGISTRATION CARDS AND PETITIONS, BE SURE THE PERSON SIGNING IS PRINTING IN BIG CLEAR BLOCK LETTERS. (IF WE CAN'T READ THE CARDS, THEY ARE NOT VALID)

Make sure all boxes are filled in completely and using all capital block letters. (Must be legible!)

Box 1: Make sure they write in their title (Ms., Mr., Mrs., etc.
Last name
First name
Middle name (not initial) but complete middle name)

Box 2: Address (no P.O. Box or business address)
Apt.
City
State
Zip Code
County

Box 3: This box is if the person does not have a street address. They would describe where they lived. example: cross streets, route, section, N, S, E, W.

Box 4: Mailing address if different from the one above, a P.O. Box is OK here.
City
State
Zip Code
Foreign Country

Box 5: Date of birth (month, day, year) example: |0|4| |2|0| |1|9|6|9|

Box 6: Place of birth (WE ONLY WANT THE STATE) not the city just the state they were born in. No abbreviations.

Box 7: This box is for a state ID or the last 4 digits of their social security. Starting this year, federal and state laws require identification for everyone registering. A drivers license or State ID number is required in this box. If the person does not have an ID, then the last 4 digits of their social security number must be entered. If they don't have either, they can still register, but the elections office will verify with the DMV that no ID exists, and if the DMV indicates that the voter does have a number, the registration will be delayed until the voter provides the information. This is the law, effective this year.

Box 8: Telephone number
E-Mail address
(this box is optional)

Box 9: Political Party
It asks if they have ever registered to vote, make sure they mark that little section, if the answer is yes, then they need to fill out BOX 10 the best they can.

Box 10: This box is explained with BOX 9.

Box 11: For election materials in other languages.

Box 12: You must sign here on line d and write the date on line e when you keep their card and give them their receipt.

Box 13: Make sure they read and fill out box 13 completely, answer both questions and then have them sign in the RED BOX.

Box 14: Optional

Box 15: Optional

Receipt: Requires your signature, address, and date when you keep the registration card. Fill in the information and give the receipt to the voter.

I REPEAT THIS VOTER REGISTRATION CARD MUST BE TURNED IN WITH IN 3 DAYS OF BEING SIGNED!!

NOTES: Make sure there name on the forms exactly match their name in their valid ID card (they must use their complete name including middle name. NO INITIALS!)

If the person signing makes a mistake have them cross it out with just a line through the mistake and have them initial) by their mistake.

When the person has finished the Voter Registration) Card, look it over slowly for any mistakes. Start at the bottom and make sure all the boxes are properly filled out.

If they are filling out both the voter registration card and the petition, make sure all information is the same.

IF YOU DO NOT FOLLOW THESES RULES, 50% OR MORE OF YOUR SIGNATURES WILL NOT BE VALID!

DO NOT EVER WRITE ANYTHING AT THE TOP 1 1/8 INCHES OF THE SHEET!! THIS WILL MAKE ALL OF THE SIGNATURES ON THAT PETITION INVALID!

NOTE: It is a waste of your time to collect bad signatures! You are not being paid in money because you are a volunteer, but your reward is much greater! You get the satisfaction of knowing that all the benefits of Cannabis to come from legalization are in large part due to your efforts with this initiative and that YOU, YOUR FRIENDS, AND FAMILY WILL NEVER BE IMPRISONED) AGAIN IN CALIFORNIA FOR SMOKING A FLOWER!!

THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK TO ALL.

PLEASE REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING THINGS WHEN YOU ARE ASKING FOR A PERSON’S PRINTED NAME ON A PETITION:

Short names like Kim, Ed or Jeff are usually Kimberly, Edward/Edwin or Jeffrey. When you see a short name, always ask how they registered. It’s best to ask them before they begin to print - their full first, middle and last names. If they just registered, look at the printing of their name on their voter registration card.

WHEN OBTAINING A SIGNATURE ON A PETITION:

On the petition, the signature can be totally illegible, even an “X” is okay if that is their legal signature. It only has to look like a facsimile of the scribble on their voter registration card. It is the PRINTING that must be complete and totally legible with their complete legal first name, middle name or initial and last name. Once again, make sure the name is exactly printed as it appeared on their Voter Registration card (you may even ask them if they have their registration card, if you have not registered them yourself). Is their first name spelled out fully? Did they use their middle name or just an initial? Almost everyone uses their full first and middle names when registering to vote.

EXAMPLES OF INCORRECTLY PRINTED NAMES:

Liz Smith - (no middle initial, abbreviated name) this may be an INVALID PRINTING. Elizabeth Ann Smith - matches voter registration card - GOOD PRINTING. Be polite, but ask them to verify that the name they print is EXACTLY as it appeared when they registered! Keep saying, as they print… “Remember, please print your full first name and middle name or initial.” Be redundant, but professional, for their sake and ours.

Remember, 80 percent of all people will print their names with a complete middle name when filling out a voter registration card (because the form asks for it). Make sure they fill out the printing blocks with a middle name or at least a middle initial (only 5 percent of registered voters use no middle name or initial, that is generally because they do not have one.)

Say to them, “Print your complete legal first name, middle, and last name in block capital letters.”
Read back the name and address to the person ONE LETTER AT A TIME. If you cannot read it, have them write it again. If they can not print legibly, print it for them and have them sign it! The most important part of the signature is the printed name and address! Always place an “X” next to where you want them to SIGN the sheet.

EXAMPLE: A lot of people will sign below the signature line, if they do place an “X” on the bottom line. Make sure the county on the petition sheet is the county the person lives in. ONE COUNTY PER PETITION SHEET ONLY!!! DO NOT MIX COUNTIES, ask before handing over the sheet. Write the county name in THE SPACES PROVIDED, as soon as you start the sheet. DO NOT WRITE ON THE TOP OF THE INITIATIVE FORM. THE TOP MUST BE BLANK TO BE A VALID FORM!! Be aware which sheets you have in your hands!! A printing/signature on the wrong county sheet is an invalid signature and counts AGAINST US. If you are registering the person, place an R in the box to the left of the signature block. Don't write anything in the box to the right of the signature block. One more time: Is the person exactly the same on the registration card and the petition? Is the person’s name fully spelled out with a middle name or initial? Is the county right on the petition sheet? IT IS UP TO YOU!!!

EXAMPLE: Ben Franklin - no middle initial, abbreviated name - INVALID PRINTING. But after a couple questions from your newly acquired skills, you find he is really registered as Bennett M. Franklin (matches voter registration card) GOOD PRINTING.

Now, make an “X” on the signature line and get them to scribble a signature. You now have a VALID, COMPLETE PRINTING of their full first, middle and last name, plus the address where they are currently registered to vote, along with their signature on the correct county sheet. NOW, ask them to join us in petitioning. For those who signed, but can not make the time, or those from out of state, you might ask for a donation - in exchange for a button, bumper sticker, etc., or a flat out donation of cash or loose change to support those of us here and in your local organization who are petitioning full time, for their rights and future.

Good luck and skills, fortune and fortitude.

See you at the extravaganja celebration party when we present the CCHHI ’08 Freedom Fighter Awards. 1,000 signatures are needed to attain REEFER RAIDER status. Again, do great and collect those signatures needed!!!

Thank you!

Cannabis Hemp:

Earth’s #1 Resource for Paper, Fiber, Food, Fuel,

Housing, Medicine, Jobs, Justice & More

Help restore Earth’s number one sustainable natural resource -

End Cannabis Hemp prohibition in 2008!