An e-petition is a proposal put on a website so people can show they support it by adding their name and, very often, an email address. It is the old idea of a petition — a list of names asking those in power to do something — moved online. Governments, campaign groups, and news sites run them. Adding your name is quick, so huge numbers can appear in a day; whether that changes a law is another question, and some people say it can become “click and forget.” The word is normal in news and civic life, a bit official. In speech many people just say online petition. You are not voting in an election when you sign; you are putting your name on a public ask.