Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 41; Democratic Party

Biography of Shawn Casey O'Brien

Shawn Casey O'Brien is a writer, progressive activist and radio talk show host. He currently serves as co-host and co-producer of "Access Unlimited," The disability awareness show on Los Angeles radio station KPFK 90.7 FM, and has co-hosted much of KPFK's statewide election coverage.

Shawn has spent most of my adult life as a grassroots activist fighting for the civil rights and economic interests of disabled and senior citizens and their families. He founded and served for nine years as Executive Director of the nonprofit Unique People's Voting Project, the nation's first grassroots effort to bring disabled voters into the political process. In that role, he was instrumental in empowering over 100,000 people through voter registration and civic education. For these efforts Shawn and his organization were inducted into California's Voter Registration Hall Of Fame in June, 2000. Since leaving that position, he has spoken to groups across the state promoting progressive causes, fighting right wing initiatives, and advocating for policies to benefit working families, seniors, the poor and the disabled.

Shawn has served in Sacramento as an advisor to the past three California Secretaries of State on voting rights and access matters, and he currently serves as a member of the Secretary of State's Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee. Shawn played a pivotal role while serving as a member of the Secretary of State's Ad Hoc Touch Screen Task Force, the first governmental body in the nation to examine and issue a report on the security of touch screen voting machines. This report led to California decertifying all touch screen machines without an accessible voter verified paper ballot.

O'Brien is also a writer whose latest effort is as a contributing author of Voices from the Edge: Narratives about the American's with Disability Act, published by Oxford University Press.