As the midterm elections swiftly approach, the heat is on for voters to make big decisions about the future of our nation.

In an era of media partisanship and political gridlock, voters face a tough time sifting through the information to come to terms with what is true and what is not.

The 2018 American Civic Collaboration Awards have recognized organizations which represent excellence in elevating democracy and civic engagement through collaboration and with measurable results to back up the success of their respective missions.

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Much like CNN did recently, Fox News had its own panel of independent voters to discuss the 2018 elections and the current political climate. This panel, however, did not start off with a soundbite question about Donald Trump or any other political figure in the US. The primary focus was: What are independents looking for in the midterms?

SAN DIEGO, CALIF.- Make no mistake, Ricardo Lara is a popular legislator in Sacramento.

Though some agree he endorses far left positions for undocumented immigrants, Lara has established himself as a champion for their rights.

In this edition of Deconstructed, TJ O'Hara chats with Bonnie Siegel, founder of Political Branding Associates. A well-known and respected brand strategist, Bonnie has more than 30 years experience bringing brands to market, dedicating her career to bringing brand strategy to life through consulting and mentoring executives and their teams. The two deconstruct the effects political branding has on campaigning in the digital age.

Check out Bonnie's work here.

And follow her on social media:

Look at the person to your left. Now look at the person to your right. Odds are, at least one of them supports legalizing marijuana, and there's a good chance you probably do too.

According to the latest Gallup poll, 66% of Americans now support legalizing marijuana. That's a new record high in an upward trend of support for marijuana legalization since Gallup began putting the question to survey takers a half century ago.

Most of us have heard the horror stories by now about everyday people receiving serious diagnoses and not being able to afford care. But today, large-scale corporations like Walmart might be looking at changing the way their employees access their necessary medical treatment by straying from the conventional health care system and offering a new model of coverage.

San Diego, CALIF.- The San Diego City Council voted 8-1 this week to repeal an ordinance that placed regulations on short-term renters using platforms like Airbnb and HomeAway. District Two Councilmember Lorie Zapf was the lone, dissenting vote.

The City Council originally passed the ordinance, 6-3, in July. Those regulations were set to go into effect July 2019.

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - The California Labor Federation, the state’s major labor organization, is abandoning Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar’s campaign to unseat indicted Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter over his ambiguous stand on California’s gasoline tax.

“We made the decision that it’s not a district that California Labor Federation will be engaged in,” federation spokesman Steve Smith said Monday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTELy6PdwvU

Candidates Ed Hernandez and Eleni Kounalakis are vying to become California’s next lieutenant governor. The “lite gov,” in the parlance, chairs the California State Lands Commission and the California Commission for Economic Development, sits on the University of California Board of Regents and California State University Board of Trustees and, most importantly, steps in if the governor cannot serve or leaves the state.

Much of the media's election coverage two weeks out from Election Day is focused on what kind of wave we are seeing -- red or blue -- and how Donald Trump will affect the outcome of the midterms. However, what often gets overlooked are the stories that matter to independent-minded voters.

Here are the top 5 stories in nonpartisan news to start your week: