As my colleague, Matt May, reported yesterday, COS activists have sparked many state legislative victories in 2024. Part of the secret of their success lies in their teeming events calendar: over the past 12 months, the grassroots have hosted over 400 events, more than one per day. From groundbreaking petition drives outside grocery stores and a DMV office to tried-and-true gun shows, our dedicated activists have left no stone unturned in their quest to reach new petition signers and spread the word about the Article V solution as big as the problem.
Surge Days
Kicking off the year with the popular “Surge” season, dozens of state teams took to their capitols to encourage their legislators to support COS. Their hard work clearly paid off. By early summer, over 370 state legislators had signed up as co-sponsors on COS resolutions.
Surge Days were well attended by activists, lawmakers, and national headliners alike. COS President Mark Meckler, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, and COS Co-Founder Michael Farris shared their expertise in many state legislatures, including Ohio, Iowa, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and more.
Senator Santorum addresses a packed house in Kentucky.
During West Virginia’s Surge, legislators “expressed their continuing support” for COS (West Virginia passed the resolution in 2022) while also laying out strategic policy goals for the 2024 session. In Maryland, nearly 50 participants visited all 188 legislator offices. Hawaii elected for a six-week-long Surge Season, during which team members adeptly employed innovative tactics to influence lawmakers over 42 days. Massachusetts State Representative Steven G. Xiarhos praised the Bay State team for its powerful testimony before the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs: “Yesterday was one of the GREATEST days of my career,” he told the team the following day. “You people CRUSHED it like no one has ever done! I was BEAMING inside!”
One of the most impactful features of in-person Surge events is the opportunity to deliver physical petitions directly to legislators. Even when legislatures are not in session, our state teams remain proactive, seeking innovative ways to gather petition signatures.
Petition Drives
From the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Michigan to the Grant Seafood Festival in Florida, the grassroots prove they are not confined to strictly “political” events. Indeed, the possibilities are nearly limitless. Flea and Farmers Markets? Check. Independence Day parties? Naturally. Gun shows? You better believe it.
Gun shows are one of the most popular grassroots offerings, with scores of events on a regular basis. Within the first eight days of 2024, for example, we had already received requests for gun shows in Fort Worth, Texas, Livingston, Montana, Wiscasset, Bath, Augusta, Sanford, Biddeford, and Topsham, Maine, Oaks, Pennsylvania, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Altogether, these events resulted in hundreds (if not thousands) of new petition signers.
Also, this year, our teams began experimenting with “Shopping for Petitions” events. Waiting outside grocery stores, activists would dialogue with shoppers about how COS can help combat inflation.
“The Northeast Patriots region had an exceptional 2024,” praised Regional Director Haley Shaw, whose region helped pioneer Shopping for Petitions.
Shopping for petitions in the Bay State.
“The Massachusetts team was awarded the coveted State Team of the Year award,” she pointed out. “Team New Hampshire collected a state record petitions at the Deerfield Fair in September with over 400 petitions during a 4-day event. Connecticut had a successful Surge Day in Hartford that brought in over 100 people to hear Mark Meckler talk about Convention of States. New York is the events team and was busy with at least one event every month and more during the summer. They also saw leaders step up and start library meetings, as well as outfitting middle school students with pocket constitutions.”
“Rhode Island, a smaller team, had a successful Town Hall event in the fall that generated a lot of interest and support in Convention of States,” she continued. “Vermont participated in a successful gun show in March that brought in 100 signatures. It was the first event for many on the team. And finally, Maine set a goal of hitting 16,000 petitions, and they crushed that goal, hitting 17,000 before the year ended.”
Unfortunately, when Chuck Harmon, a District Captain from Nevada, reached out to supermarkets about incorporating the “Shopping for Petitions” initiative in his area, he was turned down. Instead of giving up, however, he devised a new idea: Shopping for Petitions… outside the DMV.
“There is a steady stream of people coming out of the DMV, so it gives us a better chance of seeing different people than if we set up at a Supermarket where many people visit repeatedly,” he said. “Most people only frequent the DMV once per year, and many of them leave with a bad opinion of ‘government. It’s a great time to ask if they’ll take a minute to help take our country back from the politicians.”
It’s yet another example of the commitment and ingenuity of the grassroots.
“I am incredibly proud of the leaders in my region and what they have accomplished this year,” said Andrew Lusch, Harmon’s Regional Director. “One thing I can say about my teams is they are happy warriors. They don’t let the political atmosphere crush their hope of passing the COS resolution. At times, they are hard-pressed and struck down, but they are never discouraged. They celebrate every victory, and they learn from every loss.”
State Fairs
Another popular event this year, the state fair, introduced thousands of citizens to COS. The legendary Iowa State Fair alone secured an astounding 4,000 new petition signatures.
“Iowans are beyond frustrated with the unchecked power and overreach of the federal government,” said Hawkeye State Director Karen Schuster. “Educating fair attendees about the mission of Convention of States to restore self-governance proved to be the inspiring message Iowans needed to hear.”
COS endorser Steve Deace visits COS booth at Iowa State Fair.
Similarly, the Illinois team left its mark at the Illinois State Fair, employing new technologies and creative techniques to reach an impressive 1,744 petition signers. Using iPads instead of paper petitions enabled volunteers to process new data more efficiently. And adding a dog watering station lured in owners and their pets.
At the Kansas State Fair, Regional Captain Bobby Johnson’s goal of collecting 1,000 petitions seemed impossible. But, the team “invested many days of prayer and preparation,” all of which were rewarded by an impressive 940 petitions. Additionally, the team was visited by former Governor Jeff Colyer, a COS supporter.
All this (and so much more) happened over the past 50 weeks! It’s impossible to calculate the true reach of the grassroots army, but we know that momentum is rising. Thanks to the hard work of our incredible grassroots, COS is poised for a recording-breaking 2025. To participate in the movement, sign the petition below and join us as we make history!
