Recent Happenings
Nationwide
Utah Forward Party Hosts Its First Convention
The Utah Forward Party, which attained ballot access through petitions late last year, held its first state convention. Members voted on a priorities platform for the state and adopted its first slate of Forward Candidates. Read More…
South Carolina Forward Party Hosts Its First Convention
The South Carolina Forward Party attained ballot access through a merger with the South Carolina Independence Party. They held their first state convention on May 4th, and adopted its first slate of candidates. Read More…
TED Talk by Andrew Yang
Here’s a link to the TED talk recently delivered by Forward founder Andrew Yang:
On Political Corruption
Most people think about political corruption in terms of individual acts. Someone takes a bribe in order to support a bill. An elected official hires a family member for a cushy government job. Corruption erodes trust in our institutions, and America is currently a country that has very low trust in institutions. These individual acts slowly whittle away at the faith we have in our government.
However, these individual acts are generally seen as corrupt. Even those who engage in them generally try to minimize or hide them, knowing that they’re doing something wrong. A more insidious problem is when a culture of corruption develops around actions that those engaged in don’t view as corrupt.
The pursuit of electoral success should be done in order to advance a positive vision for this country. Candidates and parties should be putting forth ideas that they believe the majority of their constituents will support, competing for voters with ideas.
But over the past several decades, the legacy parties have both engaged in work to make it harder for more ideas and more competition in our electoral system. They have made it harder for independent candidates to launch a credible bid for office, through increasing ballot access requirements. They fight reforms that would make it so voters are more easily able to express their preferences, such as ranked-choice voting. They gerrymander districts so that their incumbents are safe. They do so under the guise of protecting the country from a spoiler effect, ignoring that people’s votes belong to the people, and they should be earning them through actions and policy, not through eliminating alternatives.
Regardless of the individual choices we have in 2024, this culture of maintaining power not through appealing to voters but by shutting their voices out is a corruption of what our electoral system should be. It’s more dangerous than individuals taking bribes, because, as almost all researchers in this area have shown, once a culture of corruption sets in, it’s nearly impossible to get out. We’re going to need to fight to put the power back in our—the voters’—hands for years to reclaim our system.
I’m in the fight here at Forward. I hope to see you here for the long haul.
Women’s Committee
Forward National is officially rolling out its women’s committee this month, with Wendy Petry of Colorado as interim chair and Ohio Forwardist Ruth McLatchie as a member of the leadership team. To join the community, go to: https://home.forwardparty.com/women_committee
Statewide
Empowering Change Together: The Journey of the Ohio Forward Party
Building a new political movement is a monumental task, particularly in a landscape where established parties have created a duopoly that stifles genuine choice. The history of third-party efforts in Ohio reveals a pattern where the dominant Democrat and Republican parties make it exceptionally challenging to establish alternative political voices. Despite these obstacles, we are inspired by the enduring spirit of those who have dared to defy the status quo, and like them, we too are committed to forging a new path forward.
At the Ohio Forward Party, we are currently streamlining our organizational tools and structures to better support our ambitious goals. As a volunteer-driven movement, each of us contributes whatever time we can spare to build a future that fills us with hope. The road is not without its obstacles, unique to the organizing world, but what sets us apart is our volunteer base—passionate, sometimes chaotic, yet unwavering in their commitment to breathe life into our ideals.
Learning from past experiences, we are enhancing our management and communication systems to support our growth. We are adopting widely-used, user-friendly platforms to simplify processes and make it easier for new volunteers to join us, thus fostering a vibrant online community.
This is a time of significant growth and optimism. We are excited to nurture more local candidates and build a political party that truly embodies the spirit of democracy—one of the people, by the people, and for the people.
We invite you to be a part of this transformative journey. Join us in making a difference!
Daniel Kline
Operations Director
Greater Cleveland Forward (GCF)
Greater Cleveland Forward, led by Ruth McLatchie, met at The Public House on April 23 to discuss ballot access barriers.
Columbus Forward
Columbus Forward, led by Sue Miller, met at Red Door Tavern on April 28 to discuss electoral reform.