In recent weeks, Skyline had to ban three different petitioner groups on campus due to violations in school regulations. With that said, some petitioners nowadays have become so abrasive and focused on getting signatures, not for helping a cause, but instead to get paid.

Often, for every signature that a petitioner receives on an initiative, the petitioner is paid at least a dollar. But imagine going to public institutions such as schools, or public areas like parks. People in those environments are more comfortable signing initiatives because they get the general idea of reform.

Nevertheless, many people start signing initiatives about which they are not completely educated.

The sad thing is that many people who become petitioners only get those jobs because they get paid when people sign a piece of paper. But, rather than telling people exactly what they are signing, some petitioners just gloss over key words in the initiatives and, in an abrupt manner, tell people to just sign the paper.

Granted, the general public has become trapped in a fast-paced environment, causing most to not read what they sign. But is it fair to sign something with which you are not familiar, especially when it is the petitioner’s job to inform you?

Much of the public is being misled into believing they are signing for a good cause. People at Skyline have been harassed by petitioners to sign initiatives, but petitioners do not have a right to force initiatives on students and staff. What the petitioners do have a right to do is notify the public of what is in an initiative. The people should be allowed to ask questions and read the fine print without fear of getting yelled at or reprimanded.

Sure, most petitioners get paid for getting hundreds of people to sign their initiatives, but when people are not well-informed on what they are signing, the signed initiatives receive a gateway to the election ballots unfairly. In the end, initiatives that make it on the ballot must be voted on, and, as we have seen from recent elections, the number of eligible voters turning out at the polls is much less than desirable.

The general public should not let these money-minded petitioners have their way. Petitioners need to make a good case as to why people should sign their initiatives rather than just telling people that the initiatives are for a good cause. After all, most people have their own beliefs. It is easy to sign something that a person claims is for a good cause, but it is also a major inconvenience when you find out the initiative is opposite your cause and makes it to the ballots.