<div><p>Shawn is the Election Reform Editor for IVN.us. He studied history and philosophy at the University of North Texas, and joined the IVN team in 2012. He has several years of experie
There was no contest for the top spot in the US Senate race in California. Incumbent Senator Dianne Feinstein took 43.8% of the vote in the nonpartisan, top-two open primary. That was in a field of 32 candidates. The most interesting race was for the second spot in the
In his weekly public address Wednesday, Maine Governor Paul LePage took time to talk about the upcoming June 12 primary elections, specifically about his objection to Clean Elections funding and -- interestingly enough -- his support for minority rule. "Another issue to consider for next Tuesday is the Ranked
Maine independent US Senator Angus King recently broke his silence on Question 1, the ballot measure that protects ranked choice voting in Maine. He says he is voting for it, adding that state politicians should respect the will of the people “A high number of voters said this is something
The headline may sound sensational, but trust me: there is a lot of truth to it. New Mexico held its primary elections on Tuesday, June 5. It is a closed primary state, which means only registered Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians can participate in their respective party's primaries. This,
IVN reported last week that a purple wave is sweeping over deep blue California. Independents (registered No Party Preference in California) now outnumber Republicans by over 83,500 voters -- and the number is likely to continue to increase, looking at statewide trends. The latest report from the California secretary
The California nonpartisan, top-two open primary has been the subject of much review by journalists and political pundits for the last 8 years. Almost universally, they view the initiative from a partisan perspective (e.g. Does this help Democrats or Republicans?), or for its effect on the ideological composition of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ssMTLXhlRo Maine voters may be surprised when they see a new ad in favor of protecting Maine ranked choice voting that features A-list actress and Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence. Lawrence has branched out from Hollywood to the political and election reform space. She
The media, the parties, even many academics want people to believe that political divisions run deep within the American populace. They present an image of America that is divided into two -- those on "the Right" and those on "the Left." Yet survey results from TheChisel.
The Hayes for Maine campaign recently filed a legal complaint against Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, alleging that his office is stifling the campaign's ability to distribute campaign material to voters and collect Clean Elections contributions on primary election day. At the same time, the secretary of state&
US District Court Judge Jon D. Levy threw out the Maine Republican Party's legal complaint against ranked choice voting Tuesday. It's yet another legal challenge the election reform has survived in the rocky road to the June primary elections. Judge Levy said the Maine GOP'
Peter Smith is an independent candidate running in Colorado State Senate District 32. He is the youngest candidate running for state office and would be the youngest member of the state legislature if elected in November. Peter is a Millennial -- a label most candidates his age would treat as
There is so much history being made in the independent and reform movements in 2018 that it is almost impossible to keep up with it all. Unite New Mexico, a partner of Unite America, announced Thursday its first two endorsements for independent candidates running for the New Mexico Legislature in