In 1995, candidates had only a month to gather the necessary signatures. This year, they had four. The petitions come in handy in other ways. Candidates look upon signers as potential supporters and use information from the cards to send them campaign literature and to solicit contributions and volunteers. Signing a petition doesn't obligate voters, however.
Voters can sign cards for as many candidates as they like.
Their signature simply means they want the candidate to be on the ballot. Republican Lake Ray III said most people were receptive when he asked for signatures, and he easily surpassed the 746 petitions needed to qualify in District 1. Ray said the only thing he would change if he had to do it over again is start earlier. Dave Roman's column runs Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Enter words describing a concept or keywords.