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
Arlington County, Virginia held its first ranked choice voting elections on Tuesday, June 20, during the Democratic primary for county board -- and many voters appear to approve of the new voting method. The Washington Post ran a headline two days ahead of the primary that read, "Virginia'
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In his most recent podcast, former presidential candidate and Foward Party Founder Andrew Yang sat down with Citizen Data CEO Mindy Finn to discuss what voters really want, according to the data -- and what the data shows is voters want better elections. Citizen Data is a nonpartisan research and
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Thursday, June 8, marked 13 years since California voters approved Proposition 14, the nonpartisan top-two (Top-Two) initiative authored by the Independent Voter Project (IVP). The anniversary was accompanied by a new study that shows how impactful Top-Two has been in providing better elections for voters and a healthier political environment
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New Mexico elections have long been plagued by a lack of competition and unequal treatment of voters who choose not to affiliate with a political party. Yet, according to New Mexico Open Elections, the political landscape is shifting in the favor of nonpartisan reform. Independent voters are not allowed to
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One million Pennsylvania voters are locked out of taxpayer-funded primary elections. Local reformers have mobilized to change the system -- and with recent bipartisan legislation introduced to open primaries to independent voters, it looks like their efforts are bearing fruit. Open Primaries President John Opdycke and Ballot PA Chair David
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A former member of Congress and two national reform groups have filed letters with the California Supreme Court supporting the Independent Voter Project’s (IVP) lawsuit that challenges the state’s cumbersome and confusing semi-closed presidential primary rules. Former US Rep. Tom Campbell, Open Primaries, and FairVote have asked the
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Editor's Note: This piece originally published on The Fulcrum and has been re=published on IVN with permission from the publisher. The authors are Todd Connor and Eric Bronner, who are Navy veterans and co-founders of Veterans for Political Innovation. Alaska is a unique state in many ways,
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The Independent Voter Project has filed a petition with the California Supreme Court to hear its lawsuit challenging the state’s semi-closed presidential primary, which the group asserts has caused widespread voter confusion and suppressed the votes of millions of Californians. The lawsuit, which was originally filed in 2019 by
Election Reform
Six Republican candidates have launched campaigns for the 2024 presidential primary, and there are still over a dozen potential candidates that could enter the race. Citizen Data asked voters, “in such a crowded field would you like to rank your choices?” 61% of poll respondents said they were at least
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One of the nation’s most contentious battleground states has an opportunity to open its primaries to 1.2 million voters registered independent. A new bill in Pennsylvania recognizes that these citizens have a right to vote in the most important stage of the electoral process. Pennsylvania Senate Bill 400
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Gallup's latest polling found that 49% of Americans self-identify as independent of the two major parties. The record-setting number shows voters’ growing dissatisfaction with the US political process and their options. Notably, Gallup analyst Jeff Jones observed that Gen X and Millennials are bucking a historical trend. In
Election Reform
A new report from the McKinley Research Group (MRG) finds that Alaskans are generally satisfied with their new nonpartisan voting system. Not only is it simple, but they also have more confidence in their choices and that their votes matter more than in previous years. In 2020, a majority of