The petition now forces the town "to find a solution to make us equal to other taxpayers in other fire districts," he said.

The same is true of the recall process, whereby a petition can force a new election.

The Coalition recently introduced a system by which a petition with more than 100,000 signatures can force a debate in the House of Commons.

"I had wanted to handle it privately, in my own way, but Audrey's petition forced my hand."

Audrey's misguided petition forced him into action, when his natural impulse is always to delay.

In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote (plebiscite).

The Act also provided that a petition of more than 5% of the electorate of a council area could force that council to hold a referendum on whether or not to introduce a directly-elected mayor.

A petition by this group forced Federal officials to consider the listing and catapulted the issue to a new level of urgency.

One lawyer you quote accused me of complaining that a last-minute petition forced me to miss my 6-year-old son's birthday party.

Two other Democrats said they would circulate petitions to force themselves onto the ballot as well.