Volunteers collect 4k+ signatures in 48hrs to get socialist Joe Tache on the ballot in Mass.
More than 200 unpaid volunteers collected over 4,400 signatures in just 48 hours all across Massachusetts to get socialist Senate candidate Joe Tache on the ballot in Mass. The Joe Tache for Senate campaign has publicly declared the ambitious goal of collecting the required 10,000 verified signatures in just two weeks, with a 100% volunteer-run petitioning blitz across the state. To celebrate gaining ballot access, the campaign will host an event at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville, Thu. April 9, 6-9PM, featuring local artists Amanda Shea and The Foundation Movement, and 2024 presidential candidate Claudia de la Cruz.
[Massachusetts] — Joe Tache collected ballot access signatures Sat. March 21 on Cape Cod, in the town of Hyannis, and Sun. March 22 in Jamaica Plain with volunteers for his campaign. He is running for U.S. Senate representing Massachusetts as a socialist on the ticket of the Party for Socialism and Liberation [PSL].
"Several times this weekend, I asked someone to help me get on the ballot. And then they would ask me who I am, and about my platform. So I told them I'm a socialist, and I tried to explain what that means — but before I could explain they said, 'oh yeah, sign me up!' I think that speaks to the fact that we're in a moment where we are under attack from all different directions from the Trump administration. And at the same time, people do not want to return to the pre-Trump status quo. I've never seen such enthusiasm in the eight years that I've been organizing with the PSL [Party for Socialism and Liberation] for socialist candidates and the socialist movement. People are ready for something different," said Tache.
Alexandra Smith, 31, petitioned in Jamaica Plain on Saturday, and volunteered at a campaign hub on Sunday, sorting signed petition sheets. "As a new mother, volunteering for the Joe Tache campaign has given me hope for the future that I envision for my family. When I tell people in my community about our campaign's socialist vision for the future, they are as excited as I am. Using our tax dollars to fund services for families like free childcare instead of endless wars abroad just makes sense."
Volunteers stayed at the campaign headquarters in Roxbury until 2:00am Sunday morning, counting signatures and organizing them into category by city or town. "No one was planning to stay here so late, but we were just so excited to know how many signatures we collected on the first day of our blitz!" said Dominik St. Pierre, 30, who petitioned in Somerville earlier on Saturday before coming back to help out at HQ.
Each petition sheet will need to be hand-delivered to the respective town or city hall, then retrieved once verified before being filed with the state — all with only the effort of volunteers willing to donate their time to drive across Massachusetts. So far, petition signatures have been collected from over 150 different municipalities.
Bryce Mendoza, 21, has been volunteering weekly with the campaign. “Hearing U.S. Senate candidate Joe Tache speak at local PSL events has reinvigorated my willingness to participate in the electoral process. His campaign speaks to me as an everyday Massachusetts resident. Knowing I can volunteer a couple of hours every week to assist in our fight for a more equitable Massachusetts fills me with a sense of pride and purpose,” Mendoza said. Mendoza is a student at UMass Dartmouth, which means he frequently commutes over an hour each way to Boston to pick up materials and join volunteer events.
"Volunteering for a true campaign of the people motivated me to keep going even in dreary weather. Getting to interact with the community was very fulfilling, and rewarding enough to help me overcome how nerve-wracking it can be to approach strangers," said Chris Martinez, 21, a student at MIT.
"When we first announced this campaign and I told people that we need 10,000 verified signatures to get on the ballot, people found that to be a daunting number," Tache said. "And to see the dent that we've made in just the first 48 hours of this blitz gives me confidence that we can overcome all the anti-democratic barriers of this system to build a campaign and a movement that meets the scale of the problems we're facing today, and invite people to be part of the change that they want to see."
Volunteers will continue to collect signatures for the next two weeks.
Sounds of a Socialist Future: April 9, 6-9PM, Crystal Ballroom, Somerville
After the petitioning blitz, Tache and the campaign will hold a cultural and political celebration at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville, Thurs. April 9. The show, called "Sounds of a Socialist Future," will include performances from renowned local poets Amanda Shea and Briana Crockett, and musicians MaceyOMaze, Foundation Movement, The Kid Kung Fu, and Jabir and the OGs. Claudia de la Cruz, who ran for U.S. President on the Party for Socialism and Liberation ticket in 2024, will also speak at the event. The concert is expected to sell out. Press who wish to cover the event can receive free entry with discount code: PRESS.