Please read this overview before submitting your priority via the link at the bottom of this page.

What is a Priority, and how is it different from a traditional policy?

A priority is an important matter that should be addressed by our elected officials. This is different from a policy, which is a proposed solution for a priority. Party policies are often enshrined in a party’s platform document.

The Forward Party is not just a new political party. It's a new definition of what a party is supposed to be. Instead of assuming the best approach is through a top-down platform document, Utah Forwardists identify their priorities for themselves. The Party organizes open discussion around possible solutions, and candidates present their plans to address those priorities.

This approach accomplishes two important things:

1. It opens up the field to a range of propositions which encourages open debate and data-driven solutions.
2. It forces candidates to articulate a clear plan to address each priority. Voters can then compare competing candidates using our priorities as a measuring stick.

Priorities are also different from values (read about ours here). Values are abstract, common-sense tenets we try to adhere to, whereas priorities are more specific to the issues.

How Priorities are identified

Members of the community submit priorities. The priorities with the most votes at our Convention are designated as “top priorities.” On an ongoing basis, the Forward Party will dedicate its efforts to identifying common ground solutions to the top priorities. This is a new process which we expect to improve over time.

ANYBODY CAN PARTICIPATE IN 2024, but in future cycles only registered members of the Forward Party will be able to suggest and vote on priorities.

Here are the the steps:

1. Forwardists throughout Utah use this Google Form to submit priorities. The deadline for submission is seven days before the Convention (April 20th, 2024).
2. The Priorities Committee compiles the priorities into a comprehensive list. This will include merging similar suggestions and standardizing language. The Committee will exclude incendiary submissions that are deemed not to be in line with Forward's value of Grace and Tolerance.
3. Participants at the state convention will use Approval Voting to vote for all of the proposed priorities they believe should be priorities for the coming year.
   
   1. Any priority approved by at least 50% will be included on the published list of Utah Priorities.
   2. The priorities that receive the most votes will be identified as our top priorities.

How to phrase your Priority submissions

Answer this question: What is a problem that you see in Utah, your county, or your community that you believe the government should be working to address?

Priorities submissions include a short name (1-5 words), and a brief description (2-3 sentences). The key is to focus on a broad objective that we should be working towards, rather than a specific proposed solution. You may choose to reference examples of solutions to give context, as long as a specific policy is not clearly articulated as if it’s the “obvious solution.”

Here are two examples of what a Priority and Description might look like.

Priority #1 Title: Representative Voting Districts

Description: Utah needs voting districts that give voters throughout the state a fair and equal opportunity to select candidates that represent the majority’s views. This means an end to the practice of gerrymandering, which leads to skewed election boundaries, which tends to favor the political party that’s already in power in a particular region.

Priority #2 Title: Representative Voting Methods

Description: Utah should consider alternative voting methods that allow people to vote for one or more of their preferred candidates without fear that their vote will be “wasted,” forcing them to instead choose “the lesser of two evils.” The current combination of single voting and closed primaries disincentivizes candidates from appealing to the majority in their district.

If you submit a priority where the language isn’t quite what we’re expecting, not to worry, somebody will reach out and work with you to adjust the language so it’s ready to go.

Submit a Priority

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