Forwardists,

Today, The United Utah Party (UUP) and the Utah Forward Party (FWD) signed an agreement that sets the groundwork for a party merger. This unprecedented agreement will be ratified by vote during our upcoming April 26th convention.

Make no mistake, this is a really big deal. Building on the news from earlier this month that Senator Dan Thatcher switched his affiliation to FWD, there’s no denying our momentum. We’ve never been closer to a viable, competitive third party. And while the details of this may be Utah-specific, we feel it's a story with national implications.

Here's what our Utah Chair Adam Teuscher said about the merger:

“Since 2017 the UUP has been a home to disenfranchised voters and candidates who bravely opted out of an obviously dysfunctional two-party system. They’ve worked tirelessly to give voters a quality third option. They believe that electeds should put the interests of their constituents over those of party bosses. Forward stands for the same, but we do so as part of a 50-state movement. UUP blazed the path, and through this merger, we hope to widen it.”

You can read the full press release and find a link to the agreement here.

RSVP to the 4/26 convention ASAP to witness the next steps in our story.

As if this news isn't enough of a draw, there’ll be a lot more to this joint convention than party business. We welcome all Utahns broadly interested in election reform and the independent political space to attend. The convention will include keynote speeches by party notables, a candidate panel, breakout sessions focused on our Priorities, free lunch, and FWD-branded swag handouts!

Here’s how the proposed agreement for a FWD/UUP merger would work:

At the April 26 convention:

1. The UUP – in attendance – will vote to approve the merger agreement.*
2. FWD will vote to approve the merger agreement.*
3. FWD will vote on its State Leadership for the 2025-26 term.
4. FWD will vote on a temporary resolution allowing members of both the UUP and FWD to participate in the 2025-26 Priorities selection vote.
5. FWD and UUP will vote together for the 2025-26 Priorities.
6. Elected leadership of FWD and UUP will appoint a combined interim Executive Committee to oversee the party joining process.

Then after the convention:

1. Over the course of the next months, the parties will go through the (unprecedented!) process of completing the merge in accordance with the laws of Utah.
2. The county-level conventions (which have been postponed) will occur in the fall, where county parties can select their own leadership and priorities.

*Voting to approve the merger will be limited to those who were registered party members prior to the date of this announcement (3/31). However, both FWD and UUP Party members who change their registration after this date will still be eligible in the Priorities vote. Stand with Senator Thatcher and change your registration today.

At the national level, political dysfunction and polarization are clearly at all-time highs. Here in Utah, this year’s legislative session was a case study in the “growing disconnect between the public and its representatives,” as Senator Thatcher puts it (here). To many, things may seem pretty dire at the moment.

But there’s a brighter path forward, and today’s news is further evidence that we can indeed break through the pessimism and the deadlock. Being a Forwardist means having something rare:

Optimism for a brighter future.

Stay tuned for many more updates in the days and weeks to come,
The Utah Forward Party Executive Committee

The FWD-UUP friendship goes way back; this photo was taken at our our co-hosted "Meet the Moderates" event last September, with over 20 FWD, UUP, and Independent candidates in attendance! 

Utah Forward Party | [email protected]
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