Reform Party of Superior

  

Reform Party Reformpartei
Leader	Mark Colton (MN)
Chairperson	Jennifer Fischer (LN)
Founded	March 21, 1999 (1999-03-21)
Headquarters	Bismarck, Dakota
Student wing	Student Reformers
Youth wing	Young Reformers of Superior
LGBT wing	Rainbow Reformers
Women's wing	Alliance of Women Reformers
Membership	▲ 144,233 (2023)
Ideology	Majority:  • Reformism  • Electoral reform  • Anti-corruption  • Social liberalism  • American unionism Factions:  • Progressive capitalism  • Liberal conservatism  • Centrism  • Fusionism
Political position	Centre to Centre-left (Officially describes itself as big tent)
National affiliation	Progressive Bloc (2015–2018)
International affiliation	Progressive Alliance Liberal International
American affiliation	Alliance of American Unity
Official colors	Soft pink
Governing body	Reform National Committee
High Council	0 / 45
House of Delegates	13 / 262
Governorships	0 / 18
American Parliament	0 / 36
Election symbol
Politics of Superior · Political parties · Elections

The Reform Party (German: Reformpartei) is a political party in Superior and is the youngest active political party in the country. The Reform Party is a centrist to center-left political party that was founded in March 1999 by Richard Mueller to form a new party focused on electoral and political reform. The party remained a minor third party throughout most of its history, but since the mid-2010s has grown in elections and has been rising in both membership and seats in Parliament. The party's current leader is Mark Colton after being elected to the position in 2017 and is headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota.

The Reform Party is a reformist political party whose primary concerns are electoral reform, addressing outsourcing and income inequality, advancing the rights of minorities and LGBT people, and reforming Superior's economy around a progressive capitalist system. The party describes itself as big tent and contains various political and ideological factions from across the spectrum, but generally leans in the same direction as the Liberal Democratic Party while being to the left of the United Conservative Party and more centrist than the Farmer Labor Party.

In terms of political representation, the Reform Party has largely been concentrated in the House of Delegates as of 2022 and has lacked presence in the High Council since 2018 and hasn't won a governorship, though it maintains a notable presence in local government and offices. The party lacks a presence in Superior's delegation to the American Parliament, but does run candidates in American Parliament elections and is affiliated with the Alliance for American Unity on the pan-American level and supports the Conference of American States and espouses American Unionism. The party maintains a limited presence within state legsilatures with its presence being the strongest in the east while being virtually non-existant in the west.

History

Foundation

The party was founded on March 21st 1999 by Richard Mueller, a political activist and reformer who had previously served as a Senator from North Dakota as a member of the National Coalition, a centrist political party and alliance. Mueller had been critical of Superior's electoral and political system and believed that it was leaned too much in favor of the Liberal Democrats and the Conservative Party. He was also critical of the National Coalition which had not taken efforts to reform the system despite being able to exercise more influence than other third parties. He then broke off along with other members sympathetic to his cause and formed the Reform Party in an announcement given in New Hamburg. The party was formed to create a party dedicated to political reform to and a more direct democratic approach to Superian politics.

Organization

Leadership

Like all other political parties in Superior, the Reform Party is lead by a party leader who is directly elected by registered party members in leadership elections held following an uncertain number of years. The current leader is Mark Colton who was first elected in 2014 and has lead the party ever since. The leader is a member of and is assisted by the party's official governing body, the Reform National Committee (RNC). The RNC is lead by a chair, currently Jennifer Fischer since 2018, and is elected by a committee-organized electoral caucus where the winner is chosen after securing the largest number of delegates. The RNC is made up of representatives of the Reform Party from all of 16 states of Superior and is responsible for overseeing the party's administrative activities, organizing party events, fundraising and other campaign events, and other actions to help the party function and in contesting elections on all levels of government.

Membership

Early membership records show that the Reform Party had around 25,000 registered members by 2003, the first major election the party would contest following its formation. Membership gradually increased throughout the decade and rose to over 59,000 by 2014 when Mark Colton was elected Leader of the Reform Party. Under Colton, the party increased its membership and surpassed 100,000 registered members by 2019, however membership would stagnate between 2020 and 2021 before rising again in 2022 and rose to over 144,000 by 2023. The rise of membership since 2022 has largely been credited to moderate and centrist voters joining the Reform Party, viewing it as an alternative between the United Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

State affiliates

The Reform Party has officially registered affiliates in all sixteen states across the country as well as ballot access as well, securing full nationwide ballot access in 2002 just before the 2003 election. Each state party has their own leader and committee that leads the party and oversees its activities, functioning like the Reform National Committee on the state-level and within a more limited jurisdiction. Outside of fielding candidates for local and state elections, state parties also aid the party in federal elections by assisting in the nomination and running of candidates for either chamber of Parliament and elect representatives to serve on the RNC.

Ideology and platform

The Reform Party identifies as a moderate centrist political party favoring progressive capitalism on economic issues and largely being opposed to more left-wing policies and positions such as extensive nationalization and areas of the economy with the only exception being during severe times of emergency. On social issues, the Reform Party is sociallu liberal supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage and expanding LGBT rights in Superior as well having endorsed the National Equality Act as of 2020. One of the core components of the Reform Party's platform is supporting political and electoral reform viewing the current electoral and political system of Superior as unequal and designed to favor an informal duopoly between the Liberal Democrats and United Conservative Party.

Social issues

The Reform Party is socially liberal and has supported the Liberal Democrats on social issues. The party has supported same-sex marriage since its foundation and backed the National Acceptance Act of 2016 which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide and struck down all pre-existing laws restricting or banning the practice. The party has also supported the National Equality Act which would garuntee full legal equality for all LGBT Superian citizens since its proposal in 2019.

Political positions

Economic issues

• Support unions and strike down anti-union laws.
• Support an increase of the minimum wage to $10 an hour.
• Oppose bailouts to major corporations.
• Support a 25-30% ctr on all major corporations and businesses.
• Support the Public Health Program and oppose attempts at privatization and abolition.

Social issues

• Support same-sex marriage and LGBT rights.
• Support legal and available abortion.
• Support bans on conversion therapy.
• Impose tighter gun control laws.
• Support continued PHP coverage of abortion and assisted suicide.
• Oppose partisan education policies like the 1866 Initiative.

Foreign policy

• Support and expand the Conference of American States
• Maintain diplomatic relations with the United Commonwealth
• End offensive operations in Syria and other countries.
• End support to authoritarian regimes.
• Support Manchuria in its conflict with China.
• Oppose the global influence of Landonism and communist ideology.

Electoral history

Main article: Electoral history of the Reform Party of Superior

See also

• Liberalism in Superior