Shawn Griffiths
Shawn Griffiths

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.

Articles by Shawn
broken california map
EXCLUSIVE: California Commissioner Says Lawmakers Gutted Their Funding BEFORE Prop 50
The fate of California’s independently drawn congressional districts will be decided on November 4, when voters weigh in on a legislative gerrymander and the suspension of the state’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) under Proposition 50....
08 Oct, 2025
-
8 min read
CA flag and American flag.
New Poll: 54% of Voters Buying What Dems are Selling on California Prop 50
As early voting for the November 4 special election in California begins, a new poll shows a majority of voters may end up supporting Prop 50, which suspends the state's independent redistricting commission in favor of a legislative gerrymander....
07 Oct, 2025
-
2 min read
Nevada Dems Block Independent Redistricting from Going before Voters – Again!
Nevada Dems Block Independent Redistricting from Going before Voters – Again!
With deep frustration, Vote Nevada PAC announced it is withdrawing its ballot initiative to create an independent redistricting commission -- a proposal meant to bring openness, accountability, and fairness to how Nevada’s political maps are drawn....
03 Oct, 2025
-
5 min read
sorry government closed
Independent Voters: If Members of Congress Won’t Keep Government Open, Don’t Pay Them
Here we are again – another government shutdown. Every few months, Congress enters another partisan fiscal battle as Republicans and Democrats refuse to work with each other to pass anything more than a continuing resolution to keep the U.S. funded....
01 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
Proposition 50 voter guide
California Prop 50: Partisan Power Play or Necessary Counterpunch?
November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....
01 Oct, 2025
-
9 min read
court gavel.
Virtual Discussion: The Fight for Equal Independent Voting Rights Makes it to SCOTUS
Every major voting rights movement in U.S. history – whether successful or not – has intertwined with landmark litigation. This was the case for women’s suffrage. It was the case for civil rights. And it is the case in the ongoing effort to protect the right of all voters to have equal participation in taxpayer-funded elections – something millions of independent voters are denied across the U.S....
29 Sep, 2025
-
2 min read
gerrymandering protest outside US capitol building.
Independent Center Voice Launches to Do Away with Gerrymandering Entirely
In the midst of a mid-decade redistricting fight between the two major parties, The Independent Center has announced the launch of Independent Center Voice (ICV), a 501(c)(4) organization designed to directly challenge the entrenched tactics that have distorted congressional maps and voter representation for decades....
25 Sep, 2025
-
2 min read
bernie sanders
Our Revolution Says It Will Mobilize Over A Million CA Voters to Support Prop 50
The national progressive organization that spawned from Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign has now set its sights on Proposition 50 in California and says it will mobilize 1.2 million contacts statewide in support of a proposed legislative gerrymander....
24 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read
hands holding ballots
Oklahoma City Mayor: Open Primaries Are How We Get the Crazy Out of Politics
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt is in a rare position in Oklahoma. He is a popular Republican mayor in a deep red, closed primary state that is making the case for primaries open to all voters and candidates, despite his party’s opposition to reform....
23 Sep, 2025
-
2 min read