Editing Free State Project (section)

{{Short description|Libertarian political migration}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                     = Free State Project
| logo                     = Free State Project logo.svg
| logo_size                = 120
| caption                  = Logo of the Free State Project
| headquarters             = 373 South Willow St #161, {{nowrap|[[Manchester, New Hampshire]]}}, U.S.
| leader_title             = Executive Director
| leader_name              = [[Eric Brakey]]
| formation                = {{start date and age|2001|9|1}}
| website                  = {{URL|fsp.org}}
}}
{{Libertarianism US|organizations}}

The '''Free State Project''' ('''FSP''') is an American [[political migration]] movement founded in 2001 to recruit at least 20,000 [[Libertarianism in the United States|libertarians]] to move to a single low-population state to make the state a stronghold for libertarian ideas. [[New Hampshire]] was selected in 2003 for this purpose.<ref>{{cite news|title=Libertarians Pursue New Political Goal: State of Their Own|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/27/us/libertarians-pursue-new-political-goal-state-of-their-own.html?pagewanted=all |first=Pam|last=Belluck|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 27, 2003|access-date=May 26, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Kitch |first1=Michael |title=Its founder reflects on the Free State Project| url=https://read.nhbr.com/nh-business-review/2021/10/22/#?article=3886193 |date=October 22, 2021 |work=[[New Hampshire Business Review]] | access-date=April 30, 2022}}</ref> The ''[[New Hampshire Union Leader]]'' reports that the Free State Project is not a political party but a [[nonprofit organization]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/free-state-project-looks-to-get-its-groove-back/article_7690121b-c072-507b-823e-d34b17923134.html |title=Free State Project looks to get its groove back|last=Feathers|first=Todd|website=UnionLeader.com|date=February 9, 2019 |language=en|access-date=April 15, 2020}}</ref>

Participants in the FSP signed a statement of intent declaring that they intended to move to New Hampshire within five years of the drive reaching 20,000 participants. The statement of intent was intended to function as a form of [[assurance contract]]. {{As of|2016|2|3|df=US}}, 20,000 people had signed this statement of intent,<ref name=membership>{{cite web|title=Free State Project Triggers the Move|url=https://www.fsp.org/free-state-project-triggers-the-move-libertarians-new-hampshire/|publisher=Free State Project|access-date=June 7, 2018|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109065512/https://www.fsp.org/free-state-project-triggers-the-move-libertarians-new-hampshire/|url-status=dead}}</ref> completing the original goal, and 1,909 people were listed as "early movers" to New Hampshire on the FSP website, saying they had made their move prior to the 20,000-participant trigger.<ref>{{cite web |last=Weigel |first=David |date=June 15, 2011 |title=Free State Project: What happens if 20,000 libertarians move to New Hampshire? |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2011/06/free-state-project-what-happens-if-20000-libertarians-move-to-new-hampshire.html |access-date=April 23, 2015 |work=Slate Magazine}}</ref> In the 2017–2018 term of the 400-member [[New Hampshire House of Representatives]], 17 seats were held by Free Staters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://freestateprojectwatch.org/fsp-members-in-nh-state-senate-house-2017-2018/ |title=FSP Members in NH State Senate & House, 2017-2018|work=Free State Project Watch|date=July 19, 2017 |access-date=June 29, 2021}}</ref>

The FSP is a social movement generally based upon [[decentralized decision making]]. The group hosts various events, but most of FSP's activities depend upon volunteers and no formal plan dictates to participants or movers what their actions should be in New Hampshire.

As of May 2022, approximately 6,232 participants have moved to New Hampshire for the Free State Project.<ref>{{cite web|title=FSP current mover count|url=https://www.fsp.org/ |website=fsp.org|publisher=Free State Project|access-date=May 1, 2022}}</ref>

[[Eric Brakey]] is the Executive Director of the FSP as of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 1, 2023 |title=Free State Project taps Maine state senator as its next leader |url=https://www.nhpr.org/politics/2023-11-30/free-state-project-taps-maine-state-senator-as-its-next-leader |access-date=July 12, 2024 |website=New Hampshire Public Radio |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kobin |first=Billy |date=November 30, 2023 |title=Maine GOP senator will lead New Hampshire libertarian group |url=http://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/11/30/politics/maine-republican-senator-eric-brakey-new-hampshire-libertarian-free-state-project-xoasq1i29i/ |access-date=July 12, 2024 |website=Bangor Daily News |language=en-US}}</ref>