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.
News
Former CNN commentator John Avlon is running for Congress in New York's 1st Congressional District. Avlon is running in the Democratic primary, but he is no stranger to independent politics or the movements for independent reform.
Election Reform
Idaho isn't a state that gets much attention when people talk about politics in the US. However, this could change in 2024 if Idahoans for Open Primaries and their allies are successful with their proposed initiative.
Election Reform
The AP headline reads, "Ohio primary: Open seat on state supreme court could flip partisan control." This immediately should raise a red flag for voters, and not because of who may benefit but over a question too often ignored.
Election Reform
In the latest virtual discussion from Open Primaries, the group's president, John Opdycke, sat down with Unite America Executive Director Nick Troiano to discuss Troiano's new book, "The Primary Solution," the rise in independent voters, and the state of democracy reform in the 2024
Election Reform
Former presidential candidate and co-founder of the Forward Party Andrew Yang sat down with Nirvana co-founder Krist Novoselic, who went from changing the status quo in music to bringing that independent spirit to the political arena and the fight for better elections.
Opinion
The US House of Representatives voted 352-65 Wednesday in favor of a bill (HR 7521) that would ban TikTok, a social media app used by approximately 170 million Americans, if Chinese tech company ByteDance refuses to divest from it.
Election Reform
Mounting research continues to show the real truth behind independent voter suppression in several states across the US.
Election Reform
A new study analyzing all single-winner ranked choice voting (RCV) elections since 2004 reveals a significant increase in meaningful votes and representation in elections under RCV.
Election Reform
Photo Credit: Mockup Free / Unsplash Ohio has open partisan primaries that do not require party affiliation as a condition for participation. However, a new bill in the Ohio House of Representatives would change the rules so that the right to vote was conditioned on joining the Republican or Democratic Party.
Election Reform
Two US House primaries in Texas are headed for runoffs in May. Voters who are already exhausted with the political process will be asked to go to the polls in elections that historically draw in half of the March primary's turnout -- which was abysmally low in 2024.
News
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr The US Senate race to fill the late Dianne Feinstein's seat will come down to a November contest between US Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-30) and former professional baseball player and Republican Steve Garvey -- an outcome Schiff paid millions of dollars to get.
News
The Free and Equal Foundation hosted a presidential debate in New York City that featured third party candidates running in various states across the country. The event focused on many of the biggest issues facing the US, from immigration to criminal justice reform.