So one day in May, I got a call from MTV News, asking me if I'd like to join their Street Team as the Vermont reporter. I believe my response was a resounding "Hell yeah!" Less than two weeks later, I was on a plane to New York City for a 48-hour crash course in citizen journalism.

Now, I'm no stranger to journalism, but I work in a news room, where there's a team of people working on the same product. Not so with Street Team. They sent us back to our states with about 10,000 pounds of equipment and just said, 'Go.' It was then up to us to find stories, shoot them, conduct interviews, edit the footage, and try to keep our sanity at the same time. I found that last task a bit elusive at times.

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Vermont is well-known as the bluest state in the nation. It was the first state called for Barack Obama on Election Day, and has one of the most left-wing Congressional delegations in the country.

So how does such a blue state have a Republican governor? And how was he elected to a fourth term, while the Democratic candidate came in third to an Independent? Hear what the voters have to say.

On the morning of Nov. 4, before the nation knew who their next president would be, Vermont voters offered their words of wisdom to the next man to serve at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue by answering one question:

If you could tell our next president one thing the minute before he steps into the Oval Office for the first time, what would you say?

Vermont is expecting a record voter turnout on Tuesday…that is, from those who haven't already cast their ballots.

Towns around the state have seen a wave of early voting from eager Vermonters who can't wait to enter their pick for the nation's next president.

Secretary of State Deb Markowitz says towns have seen between 25 and 50 percent of their voters cast early ballots. She predicts that those numbers, coupled with Election Day, will put the state's overall turnout at 70 percent by the time all ballots are cast. Typically, 60 percent of the state's voters hit the polls during presidential election years.

Yet, in a state whose three electoral votes end up in blue column before the presidential nominees are even announced, the most interesting local race is turning out to be the one for governor.

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PETA members may go out on a limb from time to time in their efforts to protect the animals. Vogue editor Anna Wintour probably wasn't too happy when PETA's people decided food would be the perfect accessory for her fur coat. This time, however, they've crossed the line. Messing with a rich woman's myriad outfits is one thing, but now they're trying to mess with our ice cream. Too far, PETA. Too far.

Vermonters are proud of many things: our mountains, our roller-coaster dirt roads, the scarcity of chain stores, the complete lack of billboards, our cheddar (Thank You For Smoking wasn't joking; if you've tasted Cabot, you know this state has nothing to apologize for), our maple syrup and, of course, our Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

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When 22-year-old Kesha Ram speaks, people listen. And when people speak, Kesha listens.

Kesha just graduated from the University of Vermont, where she served as student body president, and now she's running for the Vermont House of Representatives. She'll be the the youngest member, and the only person of color in the Statehouse. During her campaign, she's knocked on every door in her district (all 2,000 of them, and that's not including the college dorms), but it's not just Vermonters who want to hear what Kesha has to say. Barack Obama pointed her out as a young woman who's going to change American politics. Check out why Kesha is going to be the one to bring 'change' to Vermont.

The game is officially on. The conventions are over; both candidates have accepted their party's nomination with a thunderclap of powerful oratory. They kept America waiting on the edge of their sofas, all the way until the end. Finally, here it is, the first official week of the general election campaign.

But what are these men, John McCain and Barack Obama, these two men whose words lifted millions of Americans out of their seats talking about? Lipstick.

By now, most of America knows that the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is that specific piece of makeup, and they know who said it. The vice presidential race has taken on a life of its own, and both the American public and the media are captivated. Well, they're supposed to be; both candidates played the game to political perfection.

The 'Veepstakes' unfolded like an episode of American Idol

Moretown is a rural community of 1,600 people tucked against a mountain on the edge of the Mad River Valley. It got its name when someone climbed to the top of a hill in what's now known as Waitsfield, thinking they'd reached the end of the Valley, only to be faced with "more town."  On Tuesday, Sept. 9, the doors of the Moretown Town Hall yawned wide open, letting the musty smell of 173 years of meetings, dances and elections seep out onto the cracked sidewalk.  Despite the welcome, only 102 of the town's residents voted in Vermont's primary election. And the doors were open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

All across the state, town officials encountered the same dismal numbers. There are 200 registered voters in the town of Granville. Sixteen people cast ballots, though four of them were election workers. In Kirby, four people showed upout of a possible 325.

The Democratic National Convention is drawing energy from all 50 states this week, gluing people (and certainly the media) to their television sets. The speeches are captivating, the audience is energized, the camera work is…very well timed. It is a coronation of sorts, a party that has struggled under eight years of learning how to play the "Executive Branch" game. The word 'change' is being traded on the conversational currency exchange in much the same way pennies and dollars are on the monetary exchange. Constant updates, all with the same common denominator: change.

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Rachel Weston is a Vermont State Representative. She's also a pledged delegate for Obama at the Democratic National Convention. And, oh yeah, she's only 27. The youth vote is going to play a crucial roll in November's presidential election...but what role will the youth of America play in shaping policy? Weston is perfectly primed to do that. As the youngest member of the Vermont House of Representatives, she represents the next generation of political leaders...and has some very clear ideas on things that must change. She's dedicated to solving issues that will affect America's newest voters, and when you hear her speak, you'll see that it doesn't take decades of experience to have wisdom and political brilliance. Meet the next wave of America's political leaders.