Sen. Manchin says he will not vote for the 'For The People Act,' imperiling Democrats' major voting legislation.
— along with the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would allow the federal government to review discriminatory voting laws. Manchin said he supports the latter legislation and would want"pre-clearance" for new election laws expanded to all 50 states — not just southern states that had a history of segregation.
The debate over the legislation comes as Republican legislatures across the country have passed new voting laws along partisan lines in light of former President Donald Trump's months-long campaign of falsehoods about the 2020 election.
"The truth, I would argue, is that voting and election reform that is done in a partisan manner will all but ensure partisan divisions continue to deepen," he wrote."And I cannot explain [to West Virginians] strictly partisan election reform or blowing up the Senate rules to expedite one party’s agenda.""Manchin’s op-ed might as well be titled, 'Why I’ll vote to preserve Jim Crow," Rep. Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y.