On Saturday, July 24, we had a petition signing event at the World-Wide Rally for Freedom at the Red Bank Battlefield, New Jersey National Park.

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The World-Wide Rally for Freedom is an event where more than 40 countries around the world demonstrate on the same day. People march for freedom, peace, and human rights. Activists came to the Red Bank event from New York, Pennsylvania, and North and South Jersey.  

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Petition signing events are a great way for new volunteers to come and meet other COS volunteers and talk about Convention of States. They are fun, interactive and we all learn something new every time we come out. Our volunteers explain the mission of COS, Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution, and answer questions as we are recruiting petition signers and new volunteers. At this event, we obtained approximately 80 petition signatures. Way to go, Team!

I signed the COS petition when I learned that the states could propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. It takes 34 states approving a resolution to hold a Convention of States. Our state legislators vote on this resolution. This is all laid out in Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution.

Previously, I always researched my federal candidates, but did not spend time looking at my state legislators. When I had an important issue, I wrote letters and made phone calls to voice my opinion.

Now, when I see the federal overreach that is happening, I now understand what a Convention of States can do for our country. I realize how important it is to research every candidate and issue at all levels of government, so I began that process this year.  

Early on, I spoke with two of our District Captains (DCs), our Legislative Liaison and my Regional Captain (RC) to get some advice on how I could find out more about my state legislators and the candidates. All of them were very helpful, and their primary message for me was to meet them. They also told me that most of them do not understand what Convention of States is and we need to educate them.

I was reminded that the state legislator is a service role and that I should feel comfortable reaching out and talking to them about concerns and issues. They should be easy to approach and want to meet their future constituents.

COS University has training classes on meeting your legislators and that has made me more comfortable in my mission. 

Below are a few things I have done to date:  

1. Search the internet to find out who my state legislators and candidates are.
2. For incumbent candidates, I went to New Jersey Legislature (state.nj.us) and looked up their voting record.
3. Read through all the information I could find on each candidate. I easily found biographies, events they attended and news articles about them.
4. Liked/Followed them on Facebook and Twitter.  I reviewed both feeds and
5. Found out about their pet projects, and events they attended. This was very helpful.
6. Wrote a personal letter to all my legislators talking about COS and issues I am concerned about.

Over the rest of the summer and fall, I plan to meet all the candidates.  I will educate them on Convention of States and talk to them about what is important to me. I appreciate the support I have received from COS and am excited to move forward to meet them.

State Content Writers (SCWs) write blogs and newsletter articles. They must be knowledgeable about Article 5 and COS. The type of articles they write include; events, information and education about COS, political news, and calls-to-action to raise awareness about Convention of States.

SCWs should enjoy writing, have a good command of the English language, and be disciplined and able to work independently. While having a background in writing is helpful, it is not required. Many SCWs are passionate about the cause and their country and that comes out in their writing.  

The expected commitment level for a SCW is about an hour a week. They are part of a team that supports the COS community. Please think about joining this dedicated team of volunteers.

**Click here to learn about this and other volunteer opportunities.**

Jim Collinsworth is the Regional Captain for the South region (Districts 1-8). Jim signed the petition in 2018 after listening to Dr. Tom Coburn.  He joined Convention of States (COS) because he was tired and frustrated at the direction of our great country and he felt COS could make a difference.

Jim started as a Follow-Up Team member and became a District Captain of District 5 (still is) after meeting the NJ team at a Trenton Day. Last August he became a Regional Captain and joined the State Director team when several leadership changes were made.  

Jim is a true patriot and a valuable member of the New Jersey COS team. He is very knowledgeable about COS, U.S. history and the Constitution. He supports his volunteers with his knowledge, passion and by attending most events. Jim is patient and tenacious in our quest for liberty.

Jim’s vision for the South region is to have fully engaged District Captains in each of our 8 Districts working with their legislators to not only pass the resolution but to ratify any proposed amendments.  

Convention of States Project is on YouTube and Rumble.  The videos are educational and informative.  You can subscribe for updates.  One recent link is below. 

Ronald Reagan for Convention of States (3 minutes)

Strategy Meeting on Saturday, August 7: Discussion of NJ goals for upcoming season and year.  Invitees are: All DCs, RCs, State Director, Legislative Liaison, State Media Liaison, State Content Writers and Events Coordinators. Please contact your DC for address. Noon – 5PM.

Petition Signing Event on Saturday, August 28: Fellowship Bible Church, 590 Jackson Road, Sewell, NJ 08080, 7-9pm.