Who governs
Vermont?

Voting is not the same as governing.

Vermonters elect representatives, but many of the forces shaping daily life are distant, unelected, financially entrenched, or almost impossible for an ordinary person to influence.

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The system

Power does not sit in one building.

Government authority, federal funding, party loyalty, institutional power, housing, employment, and ownership interact. Independent Vermont wants to map that system clearly—and ask what Vermont should reclaim.

One-party Vermont

What does Vermont get for its loyalty?

Vermont’s federal elections are highly predictable. Its political establishment is closely aligned with one national party.

But predictable loyalty is not necessarily political power. A state that cannot credibly withhold support has little ability to negotiate for itself.

Does Vermont receive influence equal to its loyalty?
Does its delegation negotiate for Vermont or simply participate in a national coalition?
What happens when Vermont’s interests conflict with party priorities?
Who represents Vermonters who reject both national parties?

Dependence

Dependence changes who can say no.

Federal funding supports healthcare, housing, transportation, education, infrastructure, and state programs across Vermont. That money may be necessary.

But Vermont should still ask what political freedom remains when essential systems depend upon decisions made elsewhere.

Which institutions could not function without federal support?
What conditions come attached to that support?
Which policies does Vermont choose—and which can it not afford to refuse?
How could Vermont build greater fiscal and institutional independence?

Federal reach

How much should Washington decide for Vermont?

A national government must solve national problems. But distant rules can fail local communities—and a politically weak state can struggle to push back.

Independent Vermont will examine where federal authority is necessary, where it is excessive, and where Vermont should demand more room to act.

Questions before answers

Follow every decision to its source.

01Who decides what gets built?

02Who controls the money Vermont depends upon?

03What power do towns actually retain?

04Who gets heard before major decisions are made?

05When can Vermont say no?

06What should Vermont control for itself?

The project

We are not starting with a party platform.

We are starting by assembling people capable of asking difficult questions, conducting serious research, hosting public meetings, producing media, and testing new political ideas.

The organization may become a research group, media project, organizing network, political movement, or some combination of all four. Its exact form should be shaped by the people who build it.

Help build Independent Vermont