In American politics, we are told to pick a side, to put our full faith in Team Red or Team Blue, and just fight. While this is nothing new, the social media age has made it all too easy to rile up, play up, and perpetuate this division, and our zero-sum party system has made it all too profitable to do just that. What we are left with is a tug-of-war where nobody wins and nothing gets done. 

People are sick of it, and nowhere is that more evident than with trends in voter registration. Independents are now the largest voting bloc in the nation, and growing far faster than either major party. Therein lies an opportunity - if we can bring these frustrated citizens together, we can create a serious political force to challenge our duopoly and break its destructive incentives.  

But it’s not quite so simple. We, after all, are the kind of people who don’t like being told how to think or what to believe. We are not going to fall in line behind a traditional party, whatever its policy stances may be.

That’s why Forward is working to build a new kind of party. We want to combine the strength of a state and national movement with the freedom of running and governing as an independent, allowing our candidates to bring their unique voices - and those of their constituents - to the table. 

Our shared vision is a politics that welcomes new ideas, works effectively towards real solutions, and empowers dynamic leadership at every level, from senators and governors, to mayors and city councilors, to the people of our communities. We work better when we work together, and we want to make that possible. 

Here is how to register to vote Forward in Florida!

1. Go to RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov
2. Click on ‘Register or Update’
   
3. Under ‘Reason for Application’, select ‘Record Update/Change’
   
4. Fill out your ‘Personal Identification Information’ and click ‘Next’ at the bottom-right corner
5. Under ‘Political Party Preference’ click on ‘Select a Party Affiliation or No Affiliation’ to open the dropdown list and select ‘Florida Forward Party’
   
6. Fill out the rest of the form accordingly and click ‘Next’ at the bottom-right corner
7. Review all the information you’ve input on the last page before checking the ‘Oath’ and clicking ‘Submit’ on the bottom-right corner
8. Save your Online Voter Application Reference Number or print your receipt while you await your new voter registration card in the mail
9. Send us an email at [email protected] or post on Twitter/Instagram, tagging us @fwd_florida, to let us and everybody else know that you’re now a certified member of the Florida Forward Party 🎉

As of late 2021, nearly a third of adults in Florida reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorders - roughly the national average. More than one in eight adolescents reported having a major depressive episode in 2019. Deaths of despair - including suicides, overdoses, and alcohol disease - are up across virtually every demographic. Our nation’s mental health crisis has many faces, but it is a crisis through and through.

When mental health is mentioned in our discourse, it tends to be in the context of identification and treatment. And indeed, these are critical problems that demand critical problem solving. Individuals suffering from anxiety, depression, or addiction, not receiving the attention or care that they need, can be a danger to themselves and sometimes - tragically - to others.

But there is also something deeper underlying our nation’s mental health crisis. It is a need for hope and empowerment, for a sense of community and belonging. At its very core, this is the reason that the Forward Party exists, the reason that we seek better representation and grassroots-driven, dynamic problem solving to help people feel freer, to help communities thrive, and to help our democracy work. It is to give us all something to look forward to, because we so dearly need it.

Currently, more than a million Floridians work in jobs at a high risk of being phased out due to automation. Hundreds of thousands more are in danger of losing their jobs to AI. Many more work in new gig economies, where a lack of structure and high volatility make things feel all too often unstable. And while many are understandably worried about the future of their industries, our major-party politicians offer little in the way of real solutions.

Though we may try to delay it, major industrial shift is coming. And if we’re going to face it head-on, then we’ll need the proper aid and transition programs for those in affected industries. We’re going to need major investment in fields that can withstand future trends. And we’re going to need to define, structure, and regulate new ways of working to ensure that they are sustainable, and that those who pursue them are able to make a reasonable living.

The economic and industrial challenges aren’t insurmountable. They don’t have to spell doom and gloom. But if we want to ensure more, better jobs in more future-friendly fields for more Floridians tomorrow, then we’re going to need to apply some serious Forward thinking today.

Join the team to help save democracy and fix our broken government.

The work of building a new national political party from scratch is no easy task, but we're blessed with a community of talented, thoughtful, intelligent and humble activists, organizers and leaders. If you'd like to help grow this movement and build a thriving, community-driven coalition in your state, we'd love to have you. Join the Forward Party to fix our broken democracy and build a better future. Sign up to volunteer and you'll receive more information on how to get involved.

Hi there! Thank you so much for being a part of the Forward Florida community.

If you don't see an event in your area below, you just might be the right person to organize one! Click on Host Your Own Event on the left-hand side of this screen to fill out all the information we need to get your event on our calendar. You have access to resources, like printables, step-by-step guides on planning your event, and more on our Meetup Hosting Guide.

Once you submit an event, you'll be in communication with your state or local leadership team. They will help you get any additional resources you need, coordinate invitations (if you want Forwardists outside your personal network to attend), and take you through an approval process. Once your event is approved and made public, it will appear on the event calendar below. If you don't want it to appear on the website, tell your community leader when you speak.