Special thanks to Jim Neu for his recent letter to the editor in Lookout Eugene-Springfield about signature-gatherers working to get the Eugene Clean Energy Fund initiative on the ballot in November. In his well-researched letter, he extols the virtues of the clean energy fund campaign while at the same time championing the oftentimes thankless work petitioners do to put issues onto the ballot.

As a campaigner for many different causes, including Eugene Clean Energy Fund, I can attest that the way the public treats us is often indifferent at best, and outright hostile at worst. We’ve been yelled at, cussed at, been shut down by many different event managers for the simple act of exercising our First Amendment rights, and some petitioners have even had the police called on them. Indeed, it is not an easy job.

But it is also a rewarding job. We have countless discussions with the public about important issues facing us today, and many times, these discussions are as informative for us as they are for the people we’re getting to sign the petition. For some people, we may be the only social contact they’ve had that day, so we’re fulfilling an important civic duty, as well. It is a job that is becoming ever more important as we quickly march further down the path to fascism. 

Signature-gathering is arguably one of the most direct forms of democracy, as it is literally the will of the people deciding that an issue has enough merit to warrant a vote. It’s what keeps a democracy functioning and thriving.

So the next time you see one of us, don’t just hurry past, ignoring us. Give us a bit of your time. All it takes is two minutes to hear us out on the issue and to maybe sign. Because tomorrow, we might not even have this right.

Erica Lyon
Eugene