Ballot Access is Just the Beginning 07/18/2026

This week, we’re spotlighting endorsements in two states where Forward Party has earned party status.

It is not a fast process and requires meeting state-specific requirements for voter registration, petition thresholds at the organizational level, plus a sustained presence in the states’ politics over time. It is strong foundational building by Forward that changes everything for our candidates.

In Colorado and Minnesota specifically, for endorsed candidates Celeste Landry and Jay Reeves, that ballot line means they can bypass ballot access hurdles and focus on reaching voters.

There are certain government jobs whose entire purpose depends on the nonpartisan execution of duty. Celeste Landry, running for Colorado Secretary of State, and Jay Reeves, running for Minnesota State Auditor, are running because they understand the importance of those holders of these offices remaining loyal to the citizens first and foremost.

Both are running as Forward candidates, which mean they are also bringing the right values and credibility with them.

Celeste Landry has been working on election integrity and voter rights in Colorado for more than two decades as a civic advocate who shows up for the process itself. She’s been a member of the League of Women Voters, testified before the Colorado legislature on voting rights legislation, and spent years identifying the unintended consequences of election laws that sound neutral but aren’t. She has worked with legislators from both parties and pushed back on both when she believed they were making things harder for voters. Her platform as Secretary of State is built on three pillars: the right to vote, better representation, and election integrity.

The Secretary of State is Colorado’s top election official. Celeste Landry’s argument is direct: elections belong to the voters, not to political parties, not to special interests, and not to whoever happens to be in power. That office exists to protect the integrity of the process for everyone. She is running to do exactly that.

Jay Reeves grew up in a union family and earned his work ethic the hard way. He spent nearly 17 years serving in the United States Army as a lab scientist and data analyst. He is now running for State Auditor because, as he puts it, the job requires someone who follows the numbers, not the politics. His background speaks for itself: union labor, independent small business ownership as a truck driver, and nearly two decades of military healthcare leadership and data analytics. He brings a combination of experiences that is genuinely rare in a government oversight candidate and entirely suited to an office whose job is to audit public finances without fear or favor.

His platform is built on independence, transparency, data integrity, accountability, and technology modernization. He wants to build a modern data dashboard with township-level detail, create a standardized statewide reporting system, and ensure that fraud is reported to the right authorities with the law driving every decision. Jay Reeves has spent his entire adult life in service without an agenda. That is what the State Auditor’s office requires.

This is What Forward Party Infrastructure Actually Looks Like

It gives candidates who want to run outside the two-party system a real path forward. Without a party ballot line, independent candidates such as Landry and Reeves would face strict petition requirements, thousands of required signatures, and tight deadlines just to earn the right to appear on a ballot. The Forward Party’s ballot line removes those barriers entirely. Instead of spending their time and resources fighting to get on the ballot, they can put their energy into actually reaching the voters.

The Forward Party’s ballot lines in Colorado and Minnesota are proof that alternative exist. Every candidate who runs on them is evidence that the path is real and that voters can have more choices.

Celeste Landry and Jay Reeves are not just good candidates. They are proof of what this infrastructure is built for.

Please forward this to your friends, family, and coworkers. It helps us introduce them to Forward and to what we are building. Also consider inviting them to one of our upcoming events listed below. We’d love to meet them.

On this week’s episode, Lindsey Williams Drath, Governor Christine Todd Whitman, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, and guest host Jackie Salit examine the barriers independent candidates face in getting on the ballot. Joined by Arizona gubernatorial candidate Hugh Lytle and Texas lieutenant governor candidate Mike Collier, they discuss restrictive election laws, court challenges, and a system that often favors the two major parties.

Click the image below to watch.

Young Forwardists Introduction 

July 18, 2026 at 5:00pm Eastern Time

Join members of the Young Forwardists as they introduce you to the Forward Party and how you can get involved in our pivotal movement to make politics better. Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, or anything in between, there’s a place in the Forward Party for you.

A Conversation with Lindsey Williams Drath 

July 29, 2026 at 7:30pm Eastern Time

Join the Forward Party Women’s Committee as we discuss with Forward Party CEO Lindsey Williams Drath the future of women in the party.

If you’re tired of waiting for the system to fix itself — this is your moment.
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