Frequently Asked Questions

About the Free State Project

Questions about Your FSP Membership? Visit the Community Center

Note: some of these questions are not necessarily asked "frequently", but they deal with issues we feel it is important to address up-front.

WHO   WHERE   WHEN   WHY   WHAT   HOW   JOBS/HOUSING

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WHO

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Q: Who is welcome to participate?

A: Anyone who can agree to the clause in the Statement of Intent which says that you should support the creation of a society in which the maximum role of civil government is the protection of citizens' rights to life, liberty, and property. In essence, this includes everyone who wants to cut the size and scope of government by about two-thirds or more. Put in a positive way, most FSP members support policies such as abolition of all income taxes, elimination of regulatory bureaucracies, repeal of most gun control laws, repeal of most drug prohibition laws, complete free trade, decentralization of government, and widescale privatization. People of this disposition may go by many names: "classical liberals" (not the same as modern liberals at all, but followers of Thomas Jefferson and similar thinkers), libertarians, paleoconservatives, constitutionalists, voluntarists, etc., etc.

Q: Are non-American citizens welcome?

A: Yes, if they are willing to undertake the move. Even if they cannot vote at first, they can assist the cause in other ways. Also note, that under NAFTA, Canadians with advanced degrees or specialized trades enjoy the right to become residents of the U.S.

Q: Is there an "age limit" to joining? Are retired people welcome? Are there any "good health" requirements?

A: All are welcome in the FSP. We already have members in a wide range of ages, and encourage those with life experience to join our efforts. We have no health requirements -- it's none of our business, and we appreciate any support we get from liberty-lovers in any stage of life. We do ask that you be at least 18 years of age to sign up.

Q: What kind of people are not welcome as members of the Free State Project?

A: Anyone who promotes violence, racial hatred, or bigotry is not welcome.

Q: I'm in the armed forces - how would I declare my move to the free state?

A: Active-duty personnel can select a "home of record." This home of record may be in any state, and you are allowed to vote in that state's elections by absentee ballot. However, you may not change your home of record after initial enlistment. If you re-enlist after leaving the military, you are allowed to change your home of record then. There are also regulations relating to travel while on leave. More info ...

Q: Are people from New Hampshire allowed to sign up, and will they count toward 20,000?

A: Our new supporters from New Hampshire will not count toward the 20,000 members, because our research on the effects of 20,000 activists assume that current in-state support is not sufficient. People from New Hampshire who signed up before the vote will still be considered as part of the 20,000, since they originally agreed to move to at least one other state, though they'll be only a small portion of our membership.

Although New Hampshire residents are not included in the member count, they are still encouraged to subscribe to our announcement list, participate in our communities and events, and network with fellow Free Staters. New Hampshire residents can now register officially as New Hampshire Free State Pioneers.

WHERE

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Q: Why is New Hampshire the state the FSP is moving to?

A: After obtaining 5,000 committed members, the FSP membership voted and chose New Hampshire. The vote was conducted in accordance with the Participation Guidelines; detailed results of the vote may be found here. The FSP membership selected New Hampshire because of its many political, economic, and cultural advantages, which can be seen in our NH Info pages. In addition, New Hampshire's low population ensures that each individual can have an effect on the political system.

Q: Why don't we try "taking over" a city, a county, a group of counties, or a foreign country?

A: Counties do have some substantial powers, but states have even more powers, including control over most sales, income, and property taxes, control of the state police, and full control over statewide legislation. State legislatures have absolute authority over counties and towns: they can alter, abolish, and overrule them at will. At the same time, it would be more difficult to get a few hundred people to move to a single county than to get a few thousand people to move to a single state. As larger territories, states have more diverse economies & communities than counties. Trying to break off a group of counties to form a new state would not work. The Constitution requires the Congress and state legislature to approve the creation of any new state, and that would not happen. We're not interested in "taking over" New Hampshire, but in using an active, engaged minority to reinforce and extend its libertarian sympathies.

Q: Are Project members expected to move to a specific town or county in New Hampshire?

A: No. It is completely up to Free State Project members and their families to decide where to live. Our NH Info pages provide some information on New Hampshire's localities to assist people in making that decision.

WHEN

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Q: What is the time frame for the Free State Project?

A: The Participation Guidelines state that once we reach 20,000 participants, everyone has five years to move to New Hampshire. Participation Guidelines do not specify a requisite time period for reaching 20,000.

Q: What will happen to the FSP after the move?

A: The Project itself will dissolve shortly after the five-year moving deadline, having accomplished its sole mission to recruit 20,000 liberty-lovers to move to one state. FSP, Inc. may remain in place to assist future free state movements, should they emerge, or to continue providing information to people wishing to move to New Hampshire.

WHY

Q: Why will this Project succeed where others have failed?

A: First, it has become increasingly clear that pro-limited-government activism at a national level does not work; that realization has begun to sink in among people, and these people are now ready for an alternative like the FSP. Second, we are not asking for your money, just your signature - and eventually, of course, your following through on your word. Third, we offer formal organization and a Statement of Intent. These devices are intended to get people committed to the Project. No more half-hearted suggestions with no follow-through. Fourth, we have chosen our state on the basis of carefully and rationally considered criteria. We're not just saying: "Everyone come to where we live!" In fact, the leading strategists and researchers of the FSP are all from different states.

Q: Why does the FSP's logo have a porcupine?

A: When we started thinking about a logo for the FSP, the first suggestions centered around the Gadsden flag and the "Don't Tread on Me" snake. Then we thought we wanted something a little more original and PR-friendly, to emphasize the freshness of our approach, while still indicating the same idea. Porcupines are certainly cute and non-aggressive, but you don't want to step on them! Mary Lou Seymour first suggested the porcupine in our forum, and Joe Littlejohn was the designer of the present logo, which won over various other designs in a vote of visitors to the FSP website.

WHAT

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Q: Is the FSP a political organization?

A: No, the Free State Project is a nonprofit corporation, organized for mutual benefit and performing "social welfare" functions. We do not endorse candidates or legislation. The goals of the Free State Project as an organization can be accomplished without the election of any candidates or the passage of any legislation: the Free State Project's purpose is simply to get 20,000 classical liberals and libertarians into a single state of the U.S. What happens next is up to those 20,000. Much political planning is already being done by FSP members; you can join the discussions.

Q: Is the FSP part of the Libertarian Party?

A: We are not in any way affiliated with the Libertarian Party. However, many FSP members are also LP members, as there is some natural overlap in the goals of both organizations. We also do some recruiting and publicity at LP events for the same reason.

Q: I love the idea of the FSP, but for practical reasons I just can't sign the Statement of Intent right now. I still want to be involved - do you still want me anyway?

A: Yes! You can still support us by signing up as a Friend of the FSP. Even if you are unable to commit to the move, we encourage and appreciate your help, participation in our forums, assistance in publicity, recruiting, research and all the other work to be done. For more ways to help, see our Volunteer Center page.

Q: Does the Free State Project promote secession?

A: No, the Free State Project is not promoting secession.

Q: I'm mostly a libertarian, but I don't agree with [issue X]. What do you have to say about that?

A: We welcome all who love liberty. We are not a lockstep movement, requiring all who join to subscribe to a long list of agreements on every point. All we ask is that you agree that government's maximum role should be to help individuals defend themselves from force and fraud. We welcome you and support your desire to live according to your values. We ask only that you support others in their right to do the same.

HOW

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Q: How possible is it for 20,000 people to win majorities in New Hampshire?

A: Highly possible. Remember that these 20,000 people are likely going to be activists, not just voters. For every activist you get several voters. How many? One way to quantify it is to look at campaign expenditures. In 2000 the Libertarian Party had 40,000 members and spent $5 million. So a party with an equally dedicated membership of 20,000 could expect to spend $5 million over any two-year election cycle (probably more - because once it has a chance of winning contributions from PACs will increase, which third parties don't currently get). In New Hampshire $5 million would outspend all traditional politicians in state legislative races. See this essay for an in-depth examination of how 20,000 activists could elect majorities in certain U.S. states.

Q: The Statement of Intent says that I should "exert the fullest possible effort" toward the creation of a minimal-government society, but I have moral objections to voting. Would the FSP require me to vote?

A: The short answer is "no." "Possible" is to be defined by each individual for himself; that language in the Statement is intended to be a proud statement of courage, to inspire. Obviously, everyone who joins the FSP has a deep commitment to liberty, given the personal investments that are involved in the Project. Our job is not to assess or judge that commitment.

Q: So how much activity would we have to undertake in order for the expected political implications of the FSP to hold?

A: After moving, our members will probably decide to do more than just vote. In general, to succeed in the political arena, each of us would have to do at least three of the following: supporting pro-freedom think tanks financially, supporting pro-freedom candidates financially, writing letters to newspapers and to legislators, participating in demonstrations, volunteering your time and work to political or ideological campaigns. One estimate is that roughly a fourth of us will need to serve in local government at some point. If you are willing to move but not to do several of these tasks, it might be best for you to sign up as a friend rather than a participant since we don't want to go into our state with inflated expectations. Note, however, that the Free State Project as an organization can't enforce or encourage any of this, because this organization exists solely for organizing the move and will dissolve once it has accomplished its mission.

Q: What's to prevent statists from moving in after us and destroying our good work?

A: There's no guarantee that this won't happen, but there are several reasons to think it improbable. First, once we've created a free-market economy with strong communities, people who want a free ride from the government are not likely to come. Second, over time the values of liberty should take hold in the population as a whole, so that any incoming statists would be overwhelmed. Third, after 20,000 people have moved into a small state, it's not likely to be able to take many more for a few years. Fourth, even if the state could take more, there's no reason to think that the people moving in will be statists and not anti-statists who are excited about what's going on. Fifth, we can enact strict constitutional proscriptions (stricter than the ones in the current U.S. Constitution) that will effectively prevent the growth of another welfare state.

Q: What about having the FSP buy some property and lease small plots to people who live out of state so that they can establish legal residence and vote in the Free State even if they don't actually live there?

A: The FSP is reluctant to engage in property speculation and to become a landlord to FSP members; this situation would be ripe for conflict and controversy. (However, if individuals want to do this on an entrepreneurial level after the initial move has taken place, they are of course free to do so.) An important point to make is that people who can't actually move in state are welcome to help out in any way they choose, but these people should not be considered part of the 20,000 participants. In other words, please don't sign the Statement of Intent unless you believe you will actually be able to move. There are several reasons for this, all having to do with the benefits that geographical proximity offers for the purpose of activism. We don't want to get involved in the political process until we have a strong community actually living in state and ready to participate in in-state activism.

Q: Do you think it's wrong to move in and "take over" a state? Won't that antagonize the residents?

A: New Hampshire has a native culture conducive to the values of liberty. Our goal is to integrate into the existing culture and help the residents of New Hampshire achieve the values in government that they already hold. In most states citizens do not have much control over the state government. We have received many letters of support from New Hampshire residents eager to see hard-working, politically responsible, and socially aware people come in and help them make their state government more accountable. Of course, there has been some opposition in N.H. too; currently, the FSP is being treated as a political football in N.H. politics. Fortunately, the FSP is not a political organization, and we do not take sides in these partisan disputes.

Q: Will your members be required to purchase land and/or houses? Will "full-time RV'ers" be eligible to join?

A: No purchase of land or house is required -- we would never require any investment from our membership, per our participation guidelines -- although we do assume members will relocate to the Free State for at least several years. Full-time RV'ers are welcome, although our requirement of 20,000 people is based on the assumption that each of those members will be an activist, which could be an issue if a member is on the road several months a year.

Q: Would your members be under a legal contract (or at least, a moral contract) to stay for a designated length of time? If so, what is that length of time?

A: While we do not require a commitment for a particular length of residency in the Free State, we would hope and expect the members would keep residency in the state for several years. Our plans to achieve the reduction in the nanny state and increase freedom will take years, and we need all hands on deck for that lengthy and critical process! Social and political credibility within New Hampshire also depends on becoming fully a "native," with everything that honor entails. The Statement of Intent is not a legal contract, and moving takes place on the honor system.

Q: Don't you think some people will back out when the time comes to move?

A: Not most. People who have signed up have already signalled their commitment to achieving liberty. Why would they back out just at the moment when our goal is in sight? If they value liberty enough to decide to move at one time, why would they not value liberty enough to move at a later time? Certainly there may be some emergency situations, but the large majority of people will follow through on their word. Following through on our word is something we partisans of freedom value very much. We realize it would be immoral, although not illegal, to back out on an agreement like this. In addition, the Free State Project will be dedicated to making the move smoother for people. For example, we will research the real estate market and let people know which areas of the state might be right for them. We will also be contacting our members regularly to make sure they are all on track. Finally, we will continue recruiting new members after we reach 20,000 to make up for possible attrition.

Q: How are decisions made in the FSP?

A: The largest and most important decision – which state to move to – was made by a vote of the membership, as outlined in the Participation Guidelines. For day-to-day management decisions, the Free State Project, Inc., is a private, non-profit corporation. Corporate decisions are ultimately made by the Board of Directors. The various Organizers, however, are empowered to make certain decisions in several areas such as research, technology, and publicity. They also make proposals for major decisions (those involving spending, for example) to the Board. We do our best to make decisions with input from the membership, and any change to the Project Guidelines allows any signed member to opt out, thus ensuring that no member is committed to a project different from what he/she signed up for. There are no changes to the Guidelines unless there is a definite consensus for the change following a long period of public comment; also, changes to the corporate bylaws, which include the Participation Guidelines, must be ratified by a unanimous vote of the Board. We do not anticipate any future changes to the Guidelines.

Jobs and Housing

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Q: Can you provide any help with finding a job in NH?

A: We have several resources in the Employment Information section on our NH Info pages. Other ideas are to check out our Businesses/Employment forum and to join/post to related Yahoo groups such as FSP Business Builders.

Q: How about help with housing in NH?

A: You might want to check out the NH Housing/Realtors links on our NH Info pages. Other ideas are to visit our Moving & Housing forum and to join/post to related Yahoo groups such as Moving to NH and NH Real Estate.

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If you have more suggestions for items to be included in the FAQ, please do not hesitate to email us at info@freestateproject.org.