Pennsylvania Forward Priorities
We want to share with you all of the things we think are important to the people of Pennsylvania. We have focused the wide array of things that Pennsylvanians care about into a list of 7 topics. Please engage with us on social media or email to help us fully demonstrate how Forward supporters are thinking about these issues.
The following are the immediate priorities of the Pennsylvania Forward Party. Forward candidates, office holders and candidates seeking endorsement should provide solutions on these items in their individual policy platforms.
GOVERNMENTAL PRIORITIES:
Open Primaries – Pennsylvania is one of only nine states that maintains a closed primary system. This means you have to be registered with one of the 2 major Parties to be eligible to vote and excludes more than 1.1 million tax paying Pennsylvanians. Currently, the winner of some of our most important elections are decided by the primary. This makes public officials only accountable to their party bases and not the electorate at large. We have endorsed and are working with our friends at https://www.ballotpa.org/ to change this.
Independent Redistricting Commission – Politicians should not be choosing their voters, the voters should be choosing their politicians. An inherent conflict of interest arises when legislators draw their own districts. We support the efforts of Fair Districts PA to establish an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission and encourage you to visit https://www.fairdistrictspa.com/ for more information.
Ranked Choice Voting – Also known as instant run off voting, RCV is widely adopted in local governments and private organizations throughout the world. It has a proven record of ensuring that the elected candidates represent the will of the majority of the people. It also eliminates additional spending on further campaigning and holding another election. For more information on how RCV works please visit https://rankthevote.us/
SOCIETAL PRIORITIES:
The Economy – Local and State policies can have a dramatic effect on our economy. We challenge our policy makers to introduce and support legislation driven by the goal of improving the quality of life and stability of the Pennsylvania workforce. The Economy consistently ranks as a top priority for Pennsylvanians and security here can be expected to positively impact other areas such as Mental Health, Crime, Domestic Violence, Addiction and others.
Environment and Energy- It is a high priority in the Commonwealth to reduce our environmental impact. Pennsylvanians deserve a healthy and secure environment. We seek solutions that will conserve natural lands and resources for future generations, increase our energy security, and futureproof our outdated and failing infrastructure. We firmly believe that industry and the environment do not need to be at odds and look to industry and governmental leaders to propose solutions that benefit both our economy and our environment.
HealthCare – High quality, accessible Healthcare starts locally. Historically, solutions to reduce cost, increase access, and improve quality of care have been deferred to the Federal government. We seek local and State policies to remove barriers between patients and their providers including Reproductive Care.
Safer Communities- Whether urban, suburban, or rural – Pennsylvania communities have seen a decline in safety. We seek policy makers who bring solutions to this complex issue at a local level such as, but not limited to: Effective Policing, Increasing Mental Healthcare Access, Improving Education and Job Creation, addressing the Opioid Crisis, and Decreasing Violent Crime.
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