Provo Mayor John Curtis' decision to gather signatures to get on the party ballot as well as go to convention is not surprising Ââ conventional wisdom is he will fare better in a primary than at convention â but he and anyone else going the signature path has a steep climb ahead. Here's why: To collect the 7,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot candidates need one of two things: A) a lot of volunteers and time, or B) they need a lot of money. The first one is out.