=Nomination by Petition.=--While most candidates for public office are nominated by the recognized political parties, the laws of many states allow candidates to be nominated also by petition of independent voters. The procedure of nomination by petition is for the candidate or his friends to prepare a nomination paper or petition containing the title of the office to be filled, together with the name and residence of the candidate, get a certain number of voters to sign it, and then file it with the proper election officer. The number of signatures necessary to nominate varies according to the nature of the office to be filled and the population of the district or territory over which the jurisdiction of the office extends. Thus in New York a petition for the nomination of a candidate for a state office must contain the signatures of at least 12,000 legal voters (including at least 50 from each county), while in Massachusetts 1,000 is sufficient. For the nomination of candidates for local offices the number of petitioners required is smaller. Thus in New York candidates for the legislature may be nominated by 500 voters; in Massachusetts candidates for local offices may be nominated by petitions signed by one per cent of the number of voters. =References.=--BEARD, American Government and Politics, chs. vii, xxx. BRYCE, The American Commonwealth (abridged edition), ch. xlv. FULLER, Government by the People, chs. iv, v, xi. HART, Actual Government, ch. v. MERRIAM, Primary Elections, chs. i, v. =Documentary and Illustrative Material.=--1. Legislative manual or blue book of the state. 2. Copy of the primary election law of the state. 3. Democratic and Republican campaign textbooks. 4. Copies of party platforms. 5. Specimen ballots. 6. Copies of delegates' credentials, nomination certificates, petitions, etc. RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. Do you consider political parties essential under a system of popular government? Would it be better if there were in each state of the Union at least two strong political parties instead of one, as is virtually the case in some of the Southern states as well as in some of the North? 2. Do you think every voter ought to join some political party and support its candidates and policies? Suppose he does not approve the candidates which it has nominated and the policies which it has adopted, what should he do? Ought independent voting to be encouraged? If so, why? 3. How many votes were cast by the Democratic party in your state for governor at the last election? How many by the Republican party? 4. How is the state central committee of each party constituted in your state? Who are the members from your county or district? 5. At what places were the last state conventions of the Democratic and Republican parties held in your state? How many delegates were there in each? 6. How are municipal officers nominated in your state?