[LPVA Announce] Virginia Post Offices at which it is legal to petition

Dear LPVA members:

When I first started petitioning (for Ron Paul for President in 1988), I went to post offices to petition, thinking it would certainly be legal to petition at any post office. At that time, I think it was. However, since then, the United States Postal Service has adopted regulations regarding petitioning activity at post offices that have been upheld by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The US Supreme Court denied cert, so these regulations have been upheld by the courts.

Here is my understanding of the regulations that have been upheld. It is legal to petition on public sidewalks in front of post offices. Essentially, these are the sidewalks that run parallel to and are near streets. One can petition on interior sidewalks (those that do not run parallel to and near streets), but if someone agrees to sign the petition on such sidewalk, you must exit postal property and go to public property to obtain the signature. I know that sounds crazy (because it is). Even an Appeals Court judge, in upholding the regulation, wrote that the regulation did not make sense.

I have used a list of Virginia post offices and Google maps to locate some Virginia post offices at which we can legally petition at any time. I have attached an Excel spreadsheet listing such Virginia post offices. This is not a complete list, as I have not analyzed all Virginia post offices. I have concentrated on the larger cities, as the foot traffic at those post offices are likely to be better than in smaller towns.

You can learn the operating hours of these post offices at usps.com.

DMV offices can also be good places to petition. I will address that in a subsequent email soon.

If you have any questions about petitioning, please feel free to call me at 703-864-2132 (preferable) or email me at chair@lpva.com. Thank you for your efforts to get LPVA candidates on the ballot. Everyone's assistance is greatly needed.

Bill Redpath
LPVA Chairman

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