In Arkansas, a team of volunteers secured our place on the ballot through a tireless petitioning effort. The minimum requirement in the state is 1,000 valid signatures, but the PSL campaign managed to turn in over 2,000. Students and members of working-class communities were eager to help a people’s campaign challenge the twin parties of the rich.
Our team was able to meet their goal in less than a week, focusing on college campuses, shopping centers and public events in downtown Little Rock. Petitioners visited campuses like the University of Arkansas – Little Rock and the University of Central Arkansas. Many working-class people, especially in the African American community, were very receptive to our campaign’s anti-racist message in the wake of the murder of Trayvon Martin, and many were just happy to see the word “socialism.”
We encountered a couple of young women who stated they were anti-choice and would not sign, but still wanted to know what the PSL stood for. We explained why we believe women should have complete control over their bodies and the reproductive decisions that will affect their lives. As socialists, we are also fighting for a society in which the basic necessities of life are guaranteed and the tasks of child-rearing do not fall on women alone. One signed our petition and another took our literature and was interested in learning more.
At the college campuses, we found that Black students and workers tended to be more immediately receptive to our political platform. Many white students also signed, more often from the perspective that it was important to have third parties participate in the process. They signed even if they disagreed with socialism.
We also met many disenfranchised workers—especially ex-prisoners—who are unable to vote. While they could not sign our petition, they were genuinely moved by the message of our campaign, and appreciated the PSL’s stance on disenfranchised workers.
