How many signatures do I need to make my petition valid? Should I have a signature goal? Can I set a signature goal?

The number of signatures needed to make a petition valid will depend on the type of petition in question. A vast majority of petitions will not need any specific number of signatures to achieve a positive result. Moreover, the vast majority of petitions will NOT have any legal "necessity" to have a minimum number of signatures or a signature goal. Clearly, in these cases, the more signatures the better, but the petition author has a complete discretion to set their own specific signature goal, or to not even publish a signature goal. If the petition author desires to publish a signature goal, the goal number may be placed in the preamble of the petition. Often, however, it can be counter-productive to have a signature goal as supporters may be discouraged to see a petition well below its desired goal. In other cases, signature goals can have a positive effect. Thus, unlike other petition sites, GoPetition gives complete discretion to each author to publish or NOT publish a signature goal. 

In cases where there may be a legal minimum of required signatures (for example to get a person or issue placed on a state or local ballot; or to have a matter considered by executive government) then a clear signature goal is needed. The White House and British Government has such minimums. In these cases each petition author should research the exact number of signatures needed and the verification process (if any) required by the jurisdiction in question. 

If a jurisdictional issue mandates that a minimum number of signatures is required, then the petition author may then place that goal in the preamble of their petition. GoPetition dos not offer legal advice so each author must determine if a minimum number of signatures is required for their own particular cause.