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Inside the Battle to Stop Companies From Profiting Off Veterans’ Benefits
As Congress and state legislatures debate how to safeguard veterans’ disability benefits, a fast-growing industry of for-profit claims consultants is pouring millions of dollars into lobbying and legal fights to preserve a business model that has become both enormously profitable and fiercely controversial.
26 Nov, 2025
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9 min read
3 Things Independent Voters Have to Be Thankful For – Reform Roundup
The number of independent voters continues to grow at a historic rate nationwide.
It is becoming increasingly common for this voting bloc to outnumber registered members of at least one major ...
26 Nov, 2025
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9 min read
Did A Texas Court Just End the Gerrymandering War? (Reform Roundup)
Earlier this week, a three-judge panel blocked a mid-decade gerrymander by the Texas Legislature designed to bolster the Republican Party’s razor-thin majority in the U.S. House, setting the stage for what could become a complex legal matter.
21 Nov, 2025
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12 min read
Cabinet on the Clock: How Four Top Officials Can Win Back Public Trust
The honeymoon is over. A new national survey from the Independent Center reveals that a plurality of American adults and registered voters believe key cabinet officials should be replaced—a striking rebuke of the administration’s current direction.
13 Nov, 2025
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3 min read
Hemp-Derived THC Ban Passes US Senate
Nearly all hemp-derived THC products in the United States are set to become illegal in late 2026 under new legislation passed by the U.S. Senate. The measure, included within a series of government funding bills, changes the federal definition of hemp and effectively outlaws the wide range of intoxicating hemp items that have spread across the country since the 2018 Farm Bill.
11 Nov, 2025
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3 min read
5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering
Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties.
31 Oct, 2025
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4 min read
Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
The latest Independent Voter Podcast episode takes listeners through the messy intersections of politics, reform, and public perception. Chad and Cara open with the irony of partisan outrage over trivial issues like a White House ballroom while overlooking the deeper dysfunctions in our democracy. From California to Maine, they unpack how the very words on a ballot can tilt entire elections and how both major parties manipulate language and process to maintain power.
30 Oct, 2025
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1 min read
'Build, Baby, Build!' is NOT the Answer to Housing Crises
Can San Diego build its way out of its three-part housing crisis – supply, affordability and homelessness? Some of elected officials think so and are leading the charge. I have been in the real estate industry for 50-plus years, and I say they are on the wrong track.
27 Oct, 2025
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4 min read
Ranked Choice Voting Expands Across America in 2025 -- From New York City to Fort Collins
Eighteen U.S. cities and counties have used or are using ranked choice voting (RCV) in 2025 -- including the largest cities in three states: New York City (for its primaries only), Minneapolis, and Salt Lake City.
24 Oct, 2025
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3 min read
EXCLUSIVE: California Commissioner Says Lawmakers Gutted Their Funding BEFORE Prop 50
The fate of California’s independently drawn congressional districts will be decided on November 4, when voters weigh in on a legislative gerrymander and the suspension of congressional maps from the state's independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) under Proposition 50.
08 Oct, 2025
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8 min read









