Shannon Augustus

Press Secretary / Director of Media Relations

Shannon Augustus serves as Press Secretary of the League of Women Voters of the United States, where she is responsible for the League’s press outreach and media requests.

Prior to joining the League, Shannon served as a strategic marketing manager for a state government affairs firm. There, she led the firm's strategic marketing, communications, and brand messaging.

Shannon’s professional career started in the television industry, where she worked at C-SPAN for several years as a producer. Her stints included coverage of the White House and multiple presidential elections. She also held roles on C-SPAN’s marketing and communications team for the C-SPAN Bus program. In that role, Shannon served as spokesman and was tasked with the network's corporate and community relations activities.

Shannon is a native of the Washington, DC area and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Maryland.

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US Supreme Court Decision Preserves Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Ensures Continued Protections for Fair Representation (Press Release)

SCOTUS upheld in Allen v. Milligan a lower court ruling that Alabama must create a second majority Black congressional district in compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Voting Rights Groups File Litigation to Protect Voting Rights of Mississippians with Disabilities (Press Release)

Today the League of Women Voters of Mississippi, Disability Rights Mississippi, and three Mississippi voters filed a federal lawsuit challenging SB 2358, newly passed legislation that significantly diminishes access to the ballot for Mississippians with disabilities. The plaintiffs are represented by Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Mississippi Center for Justice, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU-MS and Disability Rights Mississippi (DRMS).

League of Women Voters of Florida Sues State For Restricting and Penalizing Voter Engagement Efforts (Press Release)

Tallahassee, FL — Today, the League of Women Voters of Florida, represented by Campaign Legal Center (CLC), sued Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Secretary of State Cord Byrd to block provisions of Florida’s recently enacted omnibus election law that would restrict and penalize basic nonpartisan civic engagement efforts. The law, Senate Bill 7050, directly targets and drastically restricts the ability of nonpartisan civic engagement organizations, like the League of Women Voters of Florida, to engage with voters, violating their right to freedom of speech and association.

Lawsuit to Protect Voters in Arizona from Intimidation at Drop Boxes is Settled (Press Release)

In October 2022, the League of Women Voters of Arizona (LWVAZ) brought a lawsuit to protect voters from intimidation at ballot drop boxes in Arizona. A federal court found that defendants Melody Jennings and her organization (then known as Clean Elections USA)—as well as individuals working with the defendants—had likely violated voter intimidation laws when they engaged in surveillance and harassment of voters at ballot drop boxes during the 2022 election. The Court ordered them to immediately halt intimidating conduct.

League of Women Voters Marks 30th Anniversary of NVRA (Press Release)

While we’ve made advancements in expanding voter access, some 30 years later, the fight for voting rights is far from over.

Voting Rights Advocates Prevail in Pennsylvania Voter Purge Lawsuit (Press Release)

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Today voting rights advocates agreed to dismiss a lawsuit that pitted them against conservative activist group Judicial Watch, in a lawsuit Judicial Watch originally filed in 2020 to force three Pennsylvania counties to remove thousands of voters from the rolls ahead of the 2020 election.

Pro-Democracy Groups Sue Louisiana Over Inequitable Felony Disenfranchisement Scheme (Press Release)

Baton Rouge, LA — Today, the League of Women Voters of Louisiana (LWV of Louisiana), along with Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) and the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (Power Coalition), filed a lawsuit, with representation from Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and Bill Quigley of Loyola University Law School, asking the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana to declare a part of the state’s felony disenfranchisement scheme unconstitutional and illegal under federal voting rights law.

League of Women Voters of North Carolina Responds to State Supreme Court Redistricting Decision (Press Release)

RALEIGH — The League of Women Voters of North Carolina President Jo Nicholas released the following statement after the North Carolina Supreme Court took unprecedented action and reversed its prior ruling that North Carolina’s congressional and state legislative maps were unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders under the state Constitution:

LWV of Tennessee Statement on Expelled State Representatives (Press Release)

The League of Women of Voters of Tennessee issued the following statement after the Tennessee State Legislature voted to expel two general assembly members.

League of Women Voters Welcomes New National Board Members (Press Release)

WASHINGTON — Today the League of Women Voters of the United States is pleased to announce new additions to its national boards of directors and trustees. Teresa Acuña, Tracy Adkison, and Ashley Allison were appointed to the national voting rights organization's leadership.