Winners in bold:

Our entire system of voting in America is in crisis. Gerrymandering, voting law changes, and the "overbearing majority" practiced by both parties has left a general feeling of disenfranchisement among a growing cross-section of the population.

A reasonable solution is a system of voting that does not encourage partisanship or gerrymandering.

How many times have we heard variations of the following soundbites from enterprising political candidates: “My business experience has prepared me to be an effective leader.” “Because of my business experience, I know how to balance a budget, not spend more money than I have, and create jobs.” “It’s time to apply good business practices to Washington.” Etcetera. Etcetera. Voters could recite them as thoughtlessly as a child singing an advertisement jingle. 

Getting on the ballot is a key milestone for any candidate, especially for a congressional seat in a hotly contested race. Chris Stockwell, the independent candidate in Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District, may soon clear this hurdle.

1. The Columbian says Washington state's top-two primary system is on the "cutting edge."

"Washington is blessed to have a top two primary, meaning that two candidates in each race will advance, regardless of party. It also means that voters can cross party lines in the primary, a system that is much preferable to that found in many parts of the country.

Since President Obama's inauguration and Rick Santelli's movement-making call to action that inspired the tea party, national politics has been a triangular affair, with the Republican "establishment" caught in the middle between an anti-incumbent reaction and a seemingly united Democratic front.

Thirteen-year-old Stephanie Roman-Reyes can identify with the tens of thousands of refugee children in danger of deportation along the southern U.S. border.

Huddled beneath a tree in Lafayette Square with her infant sister and mother, the Queens, New York middle-school student began crying as she talked on Thursday about her father, whom authorities returned to Mexico three years earlier.

While the U.S. political scene is often described as polarized, many members within the major political parties can agree on one issue: privacy and surveillance. From Democrats like Dianne Feinstein and Dick Durbin to Republicans like John McCain and Lindsey Graham, support for the current system of NSA surveillance and data collection is one of the clearest examples of what bipartisanship looks like in Washington.

In the wake of the devastating scandal within the Department of Veterans Affairs, Congress approved a $16.3 billion appropriations bill to hire more staff members and lease more space for VA medical clinics, attempting to cut down on the long wait times and poor care experienced by veterans.

While it would be an overstatement to claim that Russia and China possess identical goals and interests -- Russia is focused on its western frontier with Europe while China has its sights set on the South China Sea off its eastern coastline -- the two regional powers have struck harmony on some matters of mutual importance.

China has signed a major natural gas deal with the energy behemoth and has largely succeeded at maintaining better diplomatic relations with Russia than it has with Japan.