Credit: Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA
DC: U.S. Congress
New York (77WABC) – Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia says he will not vote for the largest overhaul of U.S. election law, casting doubt a path forward in election voting reform.
A key vote in the overhaul, Manchin wrote in a hometown newspaper that partisan voting laws will “destroy the already weakening binds of our democracy”.
“Voting and election reform that is done in a partisan manner will all but ensure partisan divisions continue to deepen,″ Manchin wrote in the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
The bill, known as the For the People Act would ensure automatic and same-day registration, place limits on gerrymandering, restore voting rights for felons, and bring transparency to a confusing campaign finance system. It would also require all states to offer 15 days of early voting and no-excuse absentee balloting.
Democrats have pushed new legislation in response to states making more restrictive voting laws, inspired by former President Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud after losing the presidential election in 2020.
