Shawn is an election reform expert and National Editor of IVN.us. He studied history and philosophy at the University of North Texas. He joined the IVN team in 2012.
Election Reform
In his 2026 State of the State address, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced that he plans to call a special state legislative session in the Spring to put an end to partisan gerrymandering “once and for all.” And he will keep calling lawmakers into session until happens.
Election Reform
Polls consistently show that nearly all Americans across the political spectrum agree that there is too much money in politics – whether from foreign sources, corporations, or so-called “dark money” groups.
Election Reform
The bill, introduced by Delegate Katrina Callsen, authorizes a permanent option for ranked choice voting expansion. This allows cities and counties to implement the reform for any and/or all of their elections, including mayoral elections.
Election Reform
Candidate filings for Congress are set to begin soon in Missouri, yet the people looking to run still have no idea which districts they will be campaigning in as multiple lawsuits against Missouri’s new congressional map have yet to be settled.
Election Reform
Republican U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil says the federal government should not only mandate voter ID in federal elections, but the government should also provide these IDs for free ahead of a House vote on the SAVE America Act (H.R.7296).
Election Reform
In the final reform roundup of January, I briefly discussed a new bill in the US House that attempts to overhaul elections in every state called the Make Elections Great Again Act (or MEGA Act for short). This bill touches on everything from:
Election Reform
A new poll from American Promise shows most Americans across the political spectrum agree: Money is not speech and unlimited political spending should not be protected as such under the First Amendment.
Election Reform
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox will appoint two more justices to the state Supreme Court after he signed a bill into law that increases the size of the court from 5 members to 7. Notably, the change comes as the legislature is trying to restore an all-GOP congressional map.
Election Reform
A new bill in the U.S. House called the Make Elections Great Again Act (MEGA) would enact new election rules right before the 2026 midterms. The legislation incorporates key provisions of the SAVE Act, but also targets ranked choice voting and mail-in ballots.
Election Reform
While much of the U.S. was slammed with severe winter weather over the weekend, volunteers for Oklahoma State Question 836 – which would end the use of taxpayer-funded closed primaries – made a final push to get their campaign to over 200,000 petition signatures.
Election Reform
California independent voters are not a monolith. They fall across the political spectrum and hold diverse opinions on a variety of social and political issues. But one thing that unites them is a shared belief that California needs more choice elections.
Election Reform
The Republican Party of West Virginia has elected to keep its primary elections closed to party members only, despite these elections being paid for by taxpayers and are the most critical stage of the public elections process.