After winning over 3 percent of the vote during Tuesday’s election, Evan Falchuk’s United Independent Party (UIP) is now an official party in the state of Massachusetts. But in order to retain its “official” status, at least 1 percent of Massachusetts voters must enroll in the party.
Unlike the Republican and Democratic parties, UIP is based on the idea that “everyone’s equal, everyone’s civil rights have to be protected, and the government has to spend taxpayer money wisely,” said Falchuk, adding that getting 3 percent of the vote is a testament to voters' frustration with existing political parties.
“Voters are looking for a new Independent alternative to what they’ve seen for too long from the political establishment,” he told WGBH News.
And it was precisely out of that "need to have a new framework” that UPI was born, according to Falchuk.
But in order for the party to remain “official,” at least one percent of Massachusetts voters must enroll in the party. And if the undertaking seems ambitious, Falchuk says he is not intimidated by the challenges that may arise.
“From the beginning people said ‘you can’t do it, it’s not possible.’ And there were a lot of roadblocks that were thrown up in front of us throughout the process… And I have to say, every time we ran into them it was further motivation… that we really do need to do this,” he said.
You can listen to the full interview with Falchuk above.
