Problems
The Plan
Election Reform
We support working alongside all to develop stronger democratic institutions and election reform solutions.
Gerrymandering - How The Major Parties Rig Elections
Gerrymandering has been used for a long time, but new technology now lets political parties predict how people will vote more accurately than ever. This means the party in control of redrawing voting maps can almost guarantee their candidates will win in a majority of districts. In Texas, gerrymandering is so powerful that the Princeton Gerrymandering Project found that only:
2 of 38 Congressional districts,
6 out of 150 State House districts, and
1 out of 31 State Senate districts
can be considered competitive.
When general elections aren’t competitive, the winner is decided in the favored party’s primary.
Partisan Primaries - How to Polarize A Country
Partisan primaries were created with good intentions. They were meant to make the process of picking party candidates more democratic, giving regular party members a voice and reducing the power of party leaders.
But when combined with gerrymandering, partisan primaries lead to more extreme political divisions and partisanship.
In a gerrymandered district, where one party is almost certain to win the general election, the biggest worry for an incumbent is being challenged in a primary by someone more extreme than they are. To avoid this, incumbents often move further to the left or right, leaving the middle ground empty and making compromise impossible."
The mix of gerrymandering and partisan primaries encourages politicians to create division and avoid working together. Controversial issues like immigration and abortion are often more useful to them unsolved than they would be if solved!
Barriers To Competition
Texas makes it especially hard for new political parties to get on the ballot. Any party or independent candidate has to collect a huge number of signatures in a very short time. The process is based on a law from 1905 that requires people to sign on paper in person, which takes a lot of time and effort.
These rules are so difficult that a district court judge said the signature-gathering process is unconstitutional. However, this decision has been paused while it’s being appealed.
Just like in business, having only two big players in politics means fewer choices and lower quality—at a higher cost.
New Style of Voting and Primaries
The Forward Party will solve the current corruption, imbalance and stolen voting power by implementing new voting processes. Because our solutions are ground up, we recognize the need for different voting styles in different scenarios. A local election in a rural county won’t have the same needs as a statewide election. So what are we going to do? Implement what works where it works.
Ranked Choice Voting + Instant Runoff
Voters rank candidates in order of preference; lowest performers are eliminated and their votes redistributed until someone reaches majority.
Solves: Reduced "spoiler effect", Encourages coalition-building, More voice for voters through preference expression
Where: Diverse metropolitan areas, Communities concerned about political polarization, Places with multiple strong political factions
STAR Voting
Voters score each candidate (0-5). Top two advance to instant runoff where preference between finalists decides winner.
Supports: Preferences of voters, Reduces strategic voting incentives, Balances majority rule with preference intensity, Minimizes ‘wasted votes’.
Where: Politically active communities, Areas with high education levels, Communities that value nuance, Medium-sized jurisdictions with resources for voter education, places seeking to reduce polarization
Approval Voting
Voters approve as many candidates as they wish; highest total approvals wins.
Supports: Simplicity, Consensus-building, Reduced extremism, Reasonable administrative costs
Where: Small to medium-sized communities, Organizations and private elections, Places where ballot design simplicity is important
Open Primaries
Increases Voter Participation – Allows independent and unaffiliated voters to participate, leading to greater voter engagement.
Encourages Moderate Candidates – Since candidates must appeal to a broader electorate, extreme partisan candidates may have less success.
Reduces Party Control – Lessens the influence of party elites by allowing all voters, not just registered party members, to have a say in candidate selection.
Promotes Cross-Party Engagement – Voters can choose candidates from different parties, encouraging a more diverse political dialogue.
Texas Infrastructure
Texas infrastructure systems function as a unified network where failures in one sector directly impact others—as we witnessed during Winter Storm Uri when natural gas system failures cascaded into electrical outages, which then disabled water treatment facilities and telecommunications. The Forward Party recognizes these critical dependencies: transportation networks that enable power grid maintenance and emergency response; water systems requiring reliable electricity for treatment and distribution; telecommunications infrastructure essential for modern grid operations and emergency services.
We support regional infrastructure planning that accounts for these intersystem vulnerabilities while providing state-level technical resources and funding frameworks. This means facilitating watershed-based flood planning rather than county-by-county approaches, developing resilience standards that address cascading failure scenarios, and creating incentives for complementary infrastructure upgrades—like co-locating broadband deployment with road construction or integrating distributed energy resources with water system improvements. Rather than dictating solutions, the state should establish technical standards, provide coordination mechanisms, and enable resource-sharing while allowing communities to implement projects that address their specific geographic and demographic realities.
Our Vision for a Reliable Texas Grid
The Forward Party of Texas believes Texans deserve an electrical grid that is reliable, resilient, and affordable. Recent events like Winter Storm Uri exposed serious vulnerabilities in our system, and we're committed to practical solutions that work for all Texans.
We believe in energy diversity. Texas benefits from a mix of energy sources including natural gas, wind, solar, and others. We recognize the growing importance of renewables while acknowledging the continuing need for dispatchable power sources.
We oppose legislation that targets renewable energy. We stand firmly against bills like SB 819 and SB 714 that would unfairly penalize renewable energy development. These bills would raise costs for Texas consumers and limit our energy options.
We support smart infrastructure investments. Our grid needs weatherization to withstand extreme conditions, expanded storage capacity to manage renewable intermittency, and upgraded transmission lines to reduce congestion.
We advocate for sensible market reforms. Texas is the only state with a pure energy-only market, which fails to incentivize maintaining reserve capacity. We support exploring market structures that ensure reliable power without unnecessarily raising consumer costs.
We favor practical solutions over political agendas. Improving home insulation, expanding demand response programs, developing microgrids, and considering limited interconnections with neighboring states are common-sense approaches that benefit all Texans.
The Forward Party of Texas is committed to an electrical grid that works for everyone—one that keeps the lights on during extreme weather, integrates new technologies responsibly, and doesn't burden Texans with unnecessary costs. We believe energy policy should be driven by what works, not by ideology. That means embracing innovation, encouraging competition, and ensuring that Texas remains a leader in energy production while improving reliability for all our communities.
Read our Energy post on the Texas Forward Studio.
Our Vision For Texas Water
We support access to clean, affordable water through systems that can withstand extreme weather and population growth. Innovative solutions such as watershed councils and micro catchment support are examples of solutions built on grassroots support, democratic processes, innovative use of data and modular government.
Watershed Councils bring together all stakeholders—farmers, urban residents, businesses, and other representatives to make collaborative decisions about shared water resources. These councils would receive technical and financial support from the state while maintaining decision making authority within the watershed community.
We advocate for state incentives to support hyperlocal water collection and conservation systems tailored to Texas' diverse geography. Including rainwater harvesting in urban areas to small scale aquifer recharge projects in rural communities. By empowering neighborhoods and small communities to develop water resilience, we reduce pressure on centralized systems while building redundancy during disasters.
Examples:
Support modernizing aging water treatment and delivery systems
Advocate for science-based water conservation policies that balance agricultural, industrial, and residential needs
Favor local control with state-level coordination for regional water planning
Prioritize flood mitigation infrastructure in vulnerable communities
Support upgrading dams and reservoirs with climate resilience in mind
Advocate for transparent groundwater management that prevents depletion while respecting property rights
Oppose water policies driven by special interests rather than data and long-term sustainability
Our Vision for Telecommunications
Texas must bridge the digital divide and ensure all communities have the connectivity needed for education, healthcare, and economic opportunity. Modern quality of life requires reliable online, secure connectivity.
Examples:
Support expanding affordable broadband access to underserved rural and urban areas
Favor competition in telecommunications services to improve quality and lower costs
Advocate for streamlined permitting processes while maintaining local input
Support resilient emergency communications networks that function during disasters
Favor technology-neutral policies that focus on outcomes rather than specific solutions
Prioritize consumer protection while encouraging innovation
Support public-private partnerships to accelerate broadband deployment where markets have failed
In all infrastructure areas, we believe in practical, non-partisan solutions that prioritize reliability, affordability, and sustainability over political agendas.
Health & Prosperity
Affordability & Healthcare in Texas are the most prominent unmet needs today.