Has anything ever changed as a result of a change.org petition?

February 12, 2023 9:23 AM

Title is the whole question.
posted by zadcat to Society & Culture (6 answers total)

Certainly I have received more spam from change.org as the result of (signing) a change.org petition.
posted by Rhedyn at 9:35 AM on February 12, 2023 [12 favorites]

Their impact page is dedicated to answering this question, and features a formal impact report with lots of examples.

Now, if you agree with how much responsibility they claim for any given "victory" is another matter.
posted by matrixclown at 9:44 AM on February 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

HS student Hayley Yoslov started a petition last year that successfully changed the start times of the Sea Otter Classic, one of the largest mountain bike races in the US.
posted by TDIpod at 10:09 AM on February 12, 2023 [19 favorites]

Well in the annals of tiny little things, we were able to say "we have 500 signatures!" on our recent petition (re: thing that happened in January) and just yesterday our city council person came to my block with two of their aides to discuss the (hyperlocal tiny thing that is very important). We've been trying to enact this (hyperlocal change) for more than two years with (multiple people in megalarge city bureaucracy). There are and were a lot of factors at play, but we've been saying "we have 500 signatures!" and that has seemed to be a plus in our favor.
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:33 AM on February 12, 2023 [9 favorites]

Response by poster: Curious that the most recent impact report is from 2019.
posted by zadcat at 12:09 PM on February 12, 2023

For the most part, signing a petition is just a way to get your name and email on the list of the sponsoring organization. Which can maybe leverage that list down the road and even gain some kind of legislative advantage through it. Usually not, though.
posted by derrinyet at 3:32 PM on February 12, 2023 [2 favorites]