Forward Party of Utah Announces Andrew Yang Appearance, CD1 “No Candidate” Outcome, and Open Convention Voting

04/03/2026 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Ahead of the Forward Party of Utah’s Annual State Convention, the party is making three announcements:

• Former presidential candidate and national Forward Party cofounder Andrew Yang will attend and meet with supporters and members of the media.
• In the party’s recently concluded county nominating conventions, the “No Candidate at this Time” option prevailed in two races, meaning no Forward candidate will proceed to the General Election in those contests, including Congressional District 1.
• A change to the Party’s Constitution now allows unaffiliated voters who wish to participate to vote fully in candidate nominations and party priority voting, reinforcing the Forward Party’s goal of becoming Utah’s political home for independents.

The Forward Party of Utah State Convention begins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at the Salt Lake Community College Student Center, 4600 S Redwood Rd, Taylorsville. Advanced RSVP is required for those who wish to vote. Visit utahforwardparty.org/convention to begin the pre-registration process.

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Andrew Yang

Andrew Yang rose to national prominence during his 2020 presidential campaign and is now a founding co-chair of the national Forward Party. He has authored several books, including The War on Normal People (2018), Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy (2021), and Hey Yang, Where's My Thousand Bucks? (2026).

Mr. Yang’s early warnings during his 2020 campaign about the role AI will play in shaping the economy, along with his advocacy for universal basic income as one possible response, have returned in force to the national dialogue and are likely to be among the topics addressed in his remarks.

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County Nominations and the “No Candidate at this Time” Option

A series of county nominating conventions were held in late March. The full results can be found at https://www.utahforwardparty.org/2026_county_results.

 In Utah’s Congressional District 1, the “No Candidate at this Time” option prevailed. As a result, no Forward candidate was nominated to proceed to November’s General Election.

The Forward Party includes “No Candidate at this Time” on convention ballots so voters can decline to nominate when they conclude that is the best course in a given race. Critics often accuse alternative parties of “acting as spoilers,” and this option gives voters a direct say in that question.

Michelle Quist, Chair of the Forward Party of Utah, made the following statement:

“Our process gives voters a real choice, including the choice not to nominate anyone. That matters, both for the quality of the candidates voters will consider in November and for the credibility of any grassroots third-party movement. In Congressional District 1, the voters, not party bosses, made the decision. We respect everyone who stepped forward, and we stand by the result.”

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Unaffiliated Voter Participation

The party also recently adopted amendments and resolutions expanding participation in its conventions to unaffiliated voters. Under the new rules, any unaffiliated Utah voter who wishes to participate may now vote in Forward convention proceedings.

Because the Forward Party does not use a traditional delegate system, all party members and participating unaffiliated voters will have the opportunity to vote on Party Priorities and, in the districts where they reside, take part in nominating candidates.

The party uses a primarily digital voting process designed to make participation fast, easy, secure, and low-cost. Qualifying voters who complete pre-registration and verification online will receive their ballots by email, and a livestream of the event will be available on the party’s YouTube channel for those unable to attend in person.

Phil Boileau, spokesman for the Forward Party of Utah, offered the following statement:

“We’ll continue to model more representative voting systems. They’re easy to administer, inexpensive, and they produce better outcomes. When participation expands beyond the most hyper-partisan and hyper-engaged among us, the result is a process that better reflects Utah as it actually is. If you want a voice, you should have a voice. And if you’re unaffiliated, we think that’s a great thing. Forward is building a process that rewards independent thinking. Come caucus with us.”

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