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While the FAA continues to weigh different options on how to regulate the domestic use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), the use of drones have already been in play, for better or for worse. In September, the agency approved permits for UAS use to seven Hollywood production companies and allowed law enforcement to use drones to aid in the search of a woman in Dallas. In contrast, a student at the University of Texas was arrested for flying one at a school football game. The debate on who shoul

According to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL), lotteries drew in $78 billion and doled out $19 billion in 2012. Lotteries have not slowed down in recent years, but when consumers have a chance to become an instant millionaire that really is not shocking. State lotteries are in 43 states, plus D.C., with over 200,000 retail locations. The chance at winning a Powerball jackpot is 1 in 175 million. In this multi-billion-dollar business, people are eager to t

According to Gallup, 42 percent of Americans self-identify as independent from either major party. But when it comes to our primary elections, the independent/unaffiliated/nonpartisan voter can be completely locked out of primaries, forced to choose a party in order to vote in a primary election, or live in a state where one party has an open primary and the other has a closed primary, even though their tax dollars subsidize both elections.Chances are, when the general election rolls around, vot

Jim Jenkins, an independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Nebraska, passed a major hurdle recently by qualifying for the ballot in the November election. If successful, he would be the first independent senator from Nebraska in the state's history. Nebraska is a big state. In square miles, it is the fifteenth largest state in the U.S. -- larger than New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Michigan. Politically, it takes on a lesser role than these high-profile states, and is often written off as a

Media attention moves at crazy speeds in today's world. One moment, the focus is on Ebola scares around the world; the next, a new Nicki Minaj video. However, America's policies don't move that fast, and many issues are becoming yesterday's news before they've reached anything approaching a resolution, according to Stephen Farnsworth, professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the University of Mary Washington. "You end up with a situation where lots of really big issues -- in

When I first heard about the top-two primary system, I thought "Yeah, it's alright but not all that helpful." In fact, there might be an IVN article where I endorse it, but don't exactly shout it from the rooftops. I had some of my own ideas and this one didn't exactly seem impactful. I was wrong. While I was looking at big picture ideas on how to overhaul an obviously broken process, I simply ignored the simplest and easiest way of all. For my site, I thought of many different ways we could

Following a turbulent primary, the general election for Michigan's 3rd Congressional District may be shaping up to be surprisingly civil in tone. On August 5, U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (R) survived a tough primary against well-funded businessman Brian Ellis. Just as noteworthy as Amash's victory was his speech following Ellis' concession. A libertarian-minded Republican, Amash pulled no punches, chastising lobbyist and former Michigan congressman Pete Hoekstra in addition to Ellis: "I ran for of

1. Terry Goddard, the Democratic candidate for secretary of state in Arizona, describes how independent voters and candidates are disenfranchised by the current election system. "Arizona encourages partisan voters to turn out, while our state treats Independent voters like second-class citizens. Our election system should empower every voter equally, but the treatment of Independents has been shoddy at best, malicious at worst and just wrong. Every registered Arizona voter whether Democrat, Rep

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. Most states have party primaries, and the result in modern times has been that party members often support the more extreme adherents to their

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. Generally speaking, centrism indicates a reluctance to make significant changes