FairVote.org | Content Authored by Sheahan Virgin

Sheahan Virgin

Sheahan is currently a Democracy Fellow, initially having joined FairVote in August 2011 as a research intern. The majority of his work is on the "Super Districts" project, a series of state-by-state reports that illustrates both the inadequacies of current winner-take-all, single member U.S. House elections and the benefits of a transition to a multi-member, proportional voting rule. Additionally, Sheahan focuses on revamping and improving the Learning Democracy school curriculum, producing new materials for use in classrooms that will explore some of FairVote's key reform proposals. A graduate of the University of Chicago (M.A. - 2010, Social Sciences) and Grinnell College (B.A. - 2008, Political Science), Sheahan's interests include the presidency, campaigns and elections, third parties, the 'science' behind voter cognition, and 'art' of effective political messaging. He is an avid tennis player and likes dogs.

Content Authored by Sheahan Virgin

1 - 10 of 21 results

Look to Election Rules to Reverse Decline of Political Center
- Posted: May 11, 2012
- Author(s): Sheahan Virgin, Rob Richie
- Categories: Research & Analysis, Instant Runoff Voting, Home, Reforms, Congressional Elections, FairVote
U.S. Senators Dick Lugar (R-IN), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Kent Conrad (R-ND) share a history of bipartisan policymaking -- and the reality that they are leaving Congress. With its "the-rules-matter" perspective, FairVote explores the way in which our winner-take-all voting system disadvantages centrist candidates and discourages bipartisanship.

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Primaries Spotlight Sharp Decline in U.S. House Moderates
- Posted: May 8, 2012
- Author(s): Sheahan Virgin, Rob Richie
- Categories: Research & Analysis, Home, Fair Voting/Proportional Representation, Congressional Elections, Redistricting, Cumulative Voting
On April 24, two moderate Blue Dog Democrats, Tim Holden and Jason Altmire, lost in Pennsylvania's primary election. They are the latest examples of an accelerating "no-more-moderates" trend within both major parties. But fair representation of the left, right and center is essential to the health of a democracy. Grounded in its unique the-rules-matter perspective, FairVote explores how winner-take-all voting rules today disadvantage candidates willing to seek bipartisan solutions to problems.

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Snowe-ball Effect: How the Loss of Yet another Congressional Moderate Makes the Case for Election Reform
- Posted: April 25, 2012
- Author(s): Sheahan Virgin
- Categories: Research & Analysis, Instant Runoff Voting, Home, Reforms, Congressional Elections
The stunning decision by Olympia Snowe to retire is just the latest example in an alarming series of setbacks for the political center, which is vital to a functioning democracy. What is clear, is that we are living through a period of severe polarization and partisanship, which has had adverse effects on the ranks of moderate politicians. FairVote's unique analysis connects the political center's travails to our damaging winner-take-all election rules and discusses the way in which alternative voting systems could boost moderates like Snowe.

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The 2012 GOP Nomination Contest Affirms Value of New Rules
- Posted: April 23, 2012
- Author(s): Sheahan Virgin, Rob Richie
- Categories: Research & Analysis, Home, Presidential Elections, Presidential Nominations Reform
As the 2012 Republican nomination contest effectively ends, FairVote reviews how the Republican Party's new nomination rules improved the process and proposes how to make both major parties can make it better in 2016.

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Romney vs. Romney
- Posted: April 5, 2012
- Author(s): Sheahan Virgin
- Categories: Presidential Elections, Presidential Nominations Reform
Media attention in the Republican nomination contest is focused on this year's results for Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum. It's also informative to compare Romney to another candidate: himself, circa 2008.

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Paul vs. Paul
- Posted: April 5, 2012
- Author(s): Sheahan Virgin
- Categories: Presidential Elections, Presidential Nominations Reform
Media attention in the 2012 Republican nomination contest is focused on the ace among Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, but it's also instructive to compare Paul to another candidate: himself, circa 2008.

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Congressional Redistricting Matters, and It’s Hurting This Country: a Response to Michael Barone
- Posted: March 22, 2012
- Author(s): Sheahan Virgin
- Categories: Home, Congressional Elections, Redistricting, Cumulative Voting
Recently, pundit Michael Barone argued in The National Review that redistricting in 2011 has turned out to “matter less than we thought.” But Barone is mistaken, overly concerned about redistricting’s impact on each major party rather its effect on voters already trapped within a troubling winner-take-all framework. Furthermore, Barone is wrong to say that partisan redistricting in 2011 has produced “clean” lines. It has not. With our unique take on redistricting and focus on voters, not political parties, FairVote sets the record straight in its rebuttle to Barone.

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No More Gerrymanders: Missouri's Partisan Plan versus the Fair Voting Alternative
- Posted: March 15, 2012
- Author(s): Sheahan Virgin, Rob Richie, Fair Voting Plans, Lindsey Needham
- Categories: Home, The Fair Voting Solution for U.S. House Elections, Fair Voting/Proportional Representation, Redistricting
Lawmakers in Missouri have recently passed a congressional redistricting plan that gives Republican candidates a strong advantage in 6 of 8 seats and protects nearly all incumbents. There's a better way--fair voting systems in multi-seat "super-districts." Read the latest in our fair voting plan series.

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Egypt and the Winner-Take-All Distortion
- Posted: March 8, 2012
- Author(s): Sheahan Virgin, Arab Spring Series, Hüseyin Koyuncu
- Categories: Home, Middle East and Africa, Elections Worldwide
After previously explaining the hybrid election system recently used by Egypt in its parliamentary elections, we here analyze how use of winner-take-all elections for many seats distorted fair representation of political views and women. Seats elected by proportional representation provided far more representative results.

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Blame Game: NJ Governor Chris Christie Wrong to Fault RNC’s Proportional Rules for Romney’s Nomination Travails
- Posted: February 28, 2012
- Author(s): Sheahan Virgin
- Categories: Research & Analysis, Home, Presidential Elections, Presidential Nominations Reform
According to Romney surrogate New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the Republican National Committee’s new rules (which led to more states allocating delegates by proportional representation)—not Mitt Romney and his declining vote shares relative to 2008—are at fault for his candidate’s recent travails. Blaming the rules for one’s poor performance or failure to meet expectations is certainly not a novel political strategy, but Christie’s statement—as we will see—gets a lot wrong. Just ask his state’s voters, which now are far more likely to vote in a meaningful primary.

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