Look up oligarch in a dictionary and you may find it defined as “someone who is extremely rich and powerful, especially a person from Russia who became rich after the end of the former Soviet Union.” Oligarchy is defined as “government by a small group of very powerful people.”
The Arlington County Board voted 4-0 to continue using ranked choice voting (RCV) in its 2025 County Board general election, reaffirming its position as Virginia's first county to implement the system. It carried broad support despite some concerns about funding for community outreach and voter education.
Over the past two weeks, JD Vance blamed European Allies for stifling free speech in their countries, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth blamed them for not spending enough on defense, and President Trump blamed Ukraine for starting Russia's invasion of their country.
It’s February and Washington is still in the, “new year, new you” phase. We are a month and a half into a new Congress and a few weeks shorter than that into a new (ish) presidency. And like most of us with a New Year's resolution, Congress and the administration are still in the “haven’t given up on the diet” phase.
With a short legislative window to work with, the updates on a bill to open New Mexico's taxpayer-funded primary elections to more than 330,000 independent voters are happening fast -- and so far, it is good news for reformers.
January 21, 2025, marked the 15th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, a decision that opened the floodgates for unlimited corporate spending in elections. Since that ruling, super PACs and outside spending have skyrocketed, and the voices of everyday voters have been drowned out by wealthy donors and corporate interests. The impact of Citizens United is clear: the political system is increasingly controlled by the rich, while ordinary voters are left behind.
The Independent Center released the fourth and final installment to its 2025 State of the Union Poll, highlighting where independent voters, Democrats, and Republicans have the most secure common ground.
California consumers who believe they are purchasing legal, natural hemp products may be getting more than they bargained for.
“…indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” So reads the Pledge of Allegiance, originally written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a socialist minister. Indivisible is also the name of a grassroots movement “of thousands of local Indivisible groups with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda,” according to its website.
In June 2024, a citizen assembly of people from across sociopolitical backgrounds in New Hampshire did the seemingly impossible in today's hyper-polarized political climate: They put their differences aside and put forward initiatives to restore trust in the political process.