Politically predictable
When the result is guaranteed, Vermont does not need to be persuaded, negotiated with, or rewarded.
Burlington · VermontEst. 2026
A new political project for Vermont
Who governs
Vermont?
Vermont votes predictably, depends heavily on Washington, and receives little political leverage in return.
We are building an independent organization for people who believe Vermont should be harder to control, harder to ignore, and more capable of acting for itself.
The proposition / 001
A state that can be taken for granted has no leverage.
Vermont’s political loyalty is treated as automatic. Its federal delegation belongs to one political camp. Essential institutions depend on money and rules set elsewhere.
The question is no longer whether Vermont agrees with Washington.
The question is whether Vermont can say no.
The structural problem
Vermont has confused loyalty with power.
Federally dependent
Federal money supports essential institutions. But dependency can become obedience when Vermont cannot afford to resist federal priorities.
Locally powerless
People increasingly experience major decisions as things done to their communities rather than choices made by them.
This is not independence.
Independent Vermont is being created to build political leverage, investigate Vermont’s dependencies, challenge one-party complacency, and develop serious ways for Vermont to govern more of its own future.
The personal test
Will there be a place for you here?
People can study here, work here, contribute here, and still find themselves unable to afford housing or build a permanent life in Vermont.
A political system should be judged by what kind of future it makes possible. If talented people cannot remain here, something is failing.
Join the first meetingFollow the power
Who actually makes the decisions?
01Washington?
02Montpelier?
03Federal agencies?
04Party organizations?
05Large institutions?
06The people who live here?
Independent Vermont will examine where power actually sits, who Vermont depends upon, and what it would take to recover meaningful political independence.
Explore the questionMake the invisible visible
Questions belong in public.
We will host forums, publish research, interview Vermonters, put arguments on the street, and create peaceful political theatre in the places where public life actually happens.
Not performance for its own sake. Public work that reveals who decides, who benefits, and what Vermont could reclaim.
Founding call / Burlington
We need three people.
Not supporters. Not résumé-builders. People capable of creating an organization from nothing.
The Convener
Brings people into the room—and makes the room matter.
The Producer
Turns arguments into posters, video, events, and public attention.
The Operator
Builds the machinery that turns ideas into completed work.
Burlington is the first chapter. The model should be strong enough to travel to other Vermont towns, campuses, and cities.
See the founding rolesFounding meeting · Burlington