Pot Legalization petition group claims hundreds out circulating their petitions? The Magic 8 Ball says “doubtful.”

This past week, Melissa Mentele head of the pot legalization group “New Approach South Dakota” seemed to be engaging in a bit of puffery.

No, not necessarily the type of puffery where the marijuana group holds something in their lungs, but the other type, where Mentele seems to be exaggerating the number of people they have out collecting signatures. Because if you look at it, the actual number might be considerably less than they’re alluding to.

Mentele has reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a painful disease that she manages with cannabis.

and…

This is the third time Mentele has tried to get medical marijuana on the ballot. She says she won’t stop until it’s legalized.

and..

So far, 500 people are interested in volunteering to collect signatures on the petition.  Around 1,000 South Dakotans have already signed it.

Read it here at KDLT.

So, Mentele was claiming a blue sky number of 500 here to the media, and in an earlier comment was making the claim of 380 people.  But in all actuality, the number of people out there with petitions in their hands is probably fewer. Far, far fewer.

Why do I think this? From a look at the materials that New Approach South Dakota is sending out to petition volunteers:

“You must take this file to a printer to have it printed on 13×19 paper, dual sided with a 60# weight. If you are unable to print please email us immediately.”

When someone signs up to circulate petitions for the group, they aren’t sent petitions in a packet, they’re expected to print it themselves. And not just any size, but on 13×19 paper.

That’s not something that anyone is going to have handy when they sneak into their office on a weekend to make copies. In fact, it’s a bit of an odd size as compared to what the average volunteer is going to have easy access to:

This odd petition size is going to require that everyone volunteering to circulate petitions to physically reach out to a print shop to have this printed. Then they have to pick them up, and pay for it out of pocket.

I’m guessing a significant number of volunteers are not going to take this step. Some might go as far as to investigate having them printed. And they might be able to claw a portion of them back if the volunteers go to the step of requesting them, and the New Approach group then mails petitions out.

But I predict the rate of drop off from volunteers is going to be massive. And they aren’t going to be close to having anywhere near the numbers of volunteers in the field that they’re claiming.

I’ve seen petition drives from organizations and candidates for decades now, but I’ve never seen anything this goofy.

Sure they’re going to have a small group of people committed to legalizing marijuana in the state. But to claim a volunteer base of 400-500 is out there circulating petitions given the parameters they’re asking people to operate under?

The Magic 8 Ball says “doubtful.”

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BONUS..  In their same e-mail to volunteers, the pot group is also sending out information soliciting ‘businesses’ hosting petitions…

Can people circulate petitions? Yes. Can “businesses host petitions?”  Depends on what they mean by ‘host.’ Because unless there’s a person attached to the petition, there’s a problem.

If you see any petition laying on a counter at a business unattended, SNAP A PICTURE and E-MAIL ME HERE.  Because that’s a no-no, as one of the petitioners for the ballot measure to hide information from voters found out.