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

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  • No More Gerrymanders: Transforming Connecticut into One At-Large Super District

    Lawmakers in Connecticut are debating how to redraw the boundaries of the state's five U.S. congressional districts in the wake of the 2010 Census. Fully in control of the state legislature, the Democratic Party is expected to push through a new map that protects its incumbents. Such controversies are products of our winner-take-all elections, in which 50.01% of voters can elect 100% of representation. Winner-take-all rules marginalize like-minded voters of a political minority no matter their relative numerical strength, thereby depressing turnout and providing inadequate representation. As part of an ongoing project, FairVote has produced a "super district" map designed for Connecticut elections with a proportional voting system. Our proportional plan upholds U.S. Supreme Court rulings on apportionment while guaranteeing fairer representation.

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