The national party sets principles, state parties set priorities, and candidates take positions on policies. Voters choose the policies via a candidate who best represents them, and this drives the policy platform of their state's Forward Party. We design solutions that can work and deliver results for the community.

The Illinois Forward Party was founded on the understanding that creating a more representative and functioning government requires election reform.  We support the implementation of voting methods, such as ranked-choice voting, that allow for more electable candidates and improve voting in areas with one dominant party.  We support non-partisan primaries, non-partisan redistricting commissions, elimination of gerrymandering, term limits, and mandated blind trusts, and bans on self-directed stock trading for all state and federal elected officials.

Instead of just voting for one candidate, ranked-choice voting allows you to rank them in order of preference. This way, if your first choice doesn't win, your vote still counts toward your second or third choice. It eliminates the "spoiler" effect and ensures that the winner has majority support.

Illinois Forward believes a fiscally sound state government is a prerequisite for a thriving economy.  We define fiscally sound as including:

• A balanced state’s budget, eliminating the bill backlog, and building up the Budget Stabilization Fund balance;
•  “Hold harmless” pension reform to help eliminate the state's unfunded pension liability and to secure the retirements of pensioners.
• Lowering administration costs of our 850+ school districts by responsibly prioritizing the classroom.
• Spending caps that link expenditure growth to the growth of the economy.
• Bringing government worker benefit costs in line with the private sector and supporting policy and legislation consistent with this definition.

Illinois Forward is committed to fostering a thriving economy for urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout our state. When our economy thrives, our neighborhoods flourish. We define a thriving economy as talented, equitable, innovative, resilient, prosperous, and competitive. 

• A talented economy’s population is growing, has increasing college and trade school achievements, and is getting younger. 
• An equitable economy has little correlation between race, gender, or geography and achievement. 
• Loans to small businesses, venture capital investment, and the number of R&D employees are all increasing in an innovative economy.  
• A resilient economy has a low industrial vacancy, a healthy population with access to insurance, robust transportation, energy, internet/communications, and other vital infrastructures. 
• A prosperous economy has growing new business start-ups, a high percentage of jobs paying a family-sustaining wage, and rising median income and home values.  
• A competitive economy creates wealth and distributes it impartially. It supports a symbiotic cycle of businesses competing for workers and workers competing for positions by lowering barriers to entry for individuals, businesses, and organizations. 

Illinois Forward supports legislation and policy that work to achieve this definition of a thriving economy and will hold ourselves and our state government accountable to these metrics.

The Illinois Forward Party recognizes that the issue of abortion is a sensitive and complex one. We believe that every woman should have the right to make decisions about her reproductive health and that it is important to respect different viewpoints on this issue. We welcome discussions on this topic and strive to find a common ground that prioritizes women's choices and access to safe and legal healthcare options.

The Illinois Forward Party believes that healthcare is a basic human right and that every American should have access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. We recognize the acuity of the issue in Illinois’ underserved and rural communities. We support creating a public option and policies that lower insurance premiums and expand access to critical services like mental health, dental, and vision care.

The Illinois Forward Party believes wholeheartedly in the idea of out of many, one (e pluribus unum). We welcome ideas from all cultural communities. All ideas are advanced with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and tolerance. No one has a monopoly on good ideas. Our members approach differences of opinion with open-minds, in good faith, and debate in a civil and respectful manner.

The Illinois Forward party understands and accepts climate change as a serious threat and supports a planned transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, nuclear, and hydrogen as part of our energy independence plan.  We understand and support the important role biofuels play in this transition. We believe that protecting the environment is crucial for the health and well-being of our communities and future generations. We support policies that promote clean energy, reduce carbon emissions, and protect our natural resources. We support the investment in environmentally friendly and conservation-minded agricultural practices and policy that incentivizes it.

The Illinois Forward Party believes in a fair and just criminal justice system. We support policies that reduce mass incarceration, end racial disparities in the criminal justice system, and provide support and resources for reentry and rehabilitation.

The Illinois Forward Party believes in protecting the rights of responsible gun owners while also implementing measures to reduce gun violence. We embrace a range of policies to address gun violence such as standardized background checks, red flag laws, the assault weapons ban, and better enforce existing controls such as licensure, training, and safety.

The Illinois Forward Party believes that education is the pathway to the American Dream.  Every child deserves access to a quality education. We support investing in our public schools, expanding access to early childhood education, and making college more affordable. We support teacher salary levels that attract and retain talent in the classroom and ensure students have what they need to be successful. We support policy improving equitable funding, efficiency, and cost of the 850+ independent school districts, and increase access to vocational and trade education.

The Illinois Forward Party believes that every Illinoisan deserves access to affordable and safe housing. We support initiatives such as expanding funding for affordable housing, increasing the minimum wage, and strengthening renter's rights to ensure that housing is accessible for all. We also support sustainable debt-to-income benchmarks for mortgages.  We welcome investors into our housing economy and ensure they are a stabilizing force in the delicate balance between supply and demand.

Illinois Forward Party is committed to the continuous advancement and betterment of our support to our active military, reserve, and national guard personnel, veterans, and their families.  We support property tax exemptions, veteran assistance programs, tuition assistance, and preference in hiring for government jobs and contracts.  We advocate for additional TRICARE and VA hospital programs and funding.

Illinois Forward Party believes that supporting our first responders is necessary to keep our streets safe, and a prerequisite to the other reforms we advocate. Illinois Forward supports Increased wages, benefits, and mental health support for Illinois’ first responders. We believe in qualified immunity for our law enforcement officers.  However, when an officer violates the public trust and is convicted of wrongdoing, higher accountability is necessary.