Joe Manchin will oppose For the People Act, putting Senate's voting rights bill in peril
WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin, a decisive Democrat in a divided Senate, announced he would vote against the For the People Act, a major blow to the party's ambitions on voting rights.
"I believe that partisan voting laws will destroy the already weak bonds of our democracy, and for this reason, I will vote against the For the People Act. In addition, I would weaken or eliminate filibuster Wouldn't vote to do that," Manchin wrote in an op-ed published in the Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette-Mail on Sunday.
Manchin's decision to oppose the law, which would give the federal government more ability to enforce a standard election structure across the country and allow the federal government to enforce civil rights laws, was bipartisan and what he wanted as one. I see therein was his willingness to oppose. A near-sighted partisan effort by Democrats.
While the House passed the bill in March, the law is stuck in the Senate, where a 60-vote filibuster is required to move the law forward. Manchin has repeatedly said he will not vote to end a Senate regime filibuster with a complicated history.
Manchin reiterated that he was not interested in filibuster reforms on voting rights, something that James Clyburn, D-SC, a veteran of the civil rights movement and a staunch voting rights advocate, had pressed Manchin in the past.
"Of course, some in my party have argued that now is the time to abandon such bipartisan voting reforms and adopt election reforms and policies supported by only one party. Respectfully, I do not agree," the senator wrote.
With their latest announcement, the West Virginia Democrat has eliminated the possibility of the law being passed.
Instead of passing the Senate version of the bill, known as S.1, Manchin argued that the upper house should pass a reinforced version of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which was introduced in 1965 with some additional provisions. was enacted. Voting Rights Act will be reinstated.
“My Republican colleague, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, has joined me in urging Senate leadership to update and pass this bill through regular order. I share with my Republicans and friends the John Lewis Values of the Voting Rights Advancement Act. I continue to engage with Democratic allies, and I am encouraged by the desire to transcend the partisan politics of both sides and strengthen our democracy by protecting voting rights," Manchin wrote. .
Capitol Hill Democrats and the White House have made it clear that increasing access to voting is a top priority for the party.
Democrats' gathering around the issue comes as Republican-controlled states across the country pass a series of election protection laws that critics argue will make voting harder, especially for those of color and Democratic-leaning. in voters. for the people of the area.
On Tuesday, Biden announced that Vice President Kamala Harris would lead the administration's effort to expand voting rights legislation and other measures across the country.
The possible death of S.1 would further affect the administration's strategy on voting rights.
Speaking at an event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, Biden said it's going to take "a hell of a lot of work" to counter the "attack on our democracy" by the current slate of election bills, but Harris was ready for work.