A key centrist Democrat in the Senate signaled he might not support an ambitious overhaul of the nation’s election and voting laws the party is eager to pass unless it can earn GOP support.
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said Thursday “there are some legitimate concerns” about the Democrats’ massive proposal, which would federalize elections, lower voter ID requirements, expand access to the ballot box, and politicize the Federal Election Commission.
“As a former Secretary of State, I know, firsthand, the importance of local decision-making around voter accessibility and election security,” Manchin, who also served as the state’s governor, said in a statement.
PRESSURE BUILDS ON DEMOCRATS TO DITCH FILIBUSTER TO PASS BIDEN AGENDA
Manchin warned Democrats that attempting to pass the election overhaul bill without support from the GOP “may garner short-term benefits, but will inevitably only exacerbate the distrust that millions of Americans harbor against the U.S. government.”
Manchin issued the statement hours after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced he would bring up election overhaul legislation in the coming weeks. Manchin’s support is necessary to pass the bill.
Manchin said rather than immediately backing the Democratic bill, he will work with Republicans on a measure that can pass with Republican support.
Manchin cited provisions aimed at bolstering election security and providing more resources to communities that have been underrepresented in federal elections.
“There are bipartisan proposals embedded in this bill that can strike the right balance and make great strides on each of these issues,” Manchin said. “Instead of arguing about the election reforms on which we disagree, Congress should be working together to enact those on which we can agree.”
Manchin’s announcement could ultimately thwart passage of the legislation, which is a top party priority first introduced by House Democrats in 2019.
Senate Democrats already face the hurdle of the Senate filibuster, which requires 60 votes to begin debate on legislation.
Democratic leaders are weighing a move to end the filibuster, which would lower the threshold to 51 votes.
However, without Manchin’s support, the bill can’t pass because Democrats control only 51 votes, including the tiebreaking power of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Manchin and other centrist Democrats either oppose ending the filibuster or are undecided, which puts the election overhaul bill out of reach.
As for Republicans, they are vehemently opposed to the legislation and have warned if Democrats attempt to pass it, they will tie up the floor by requiring the clerk to read thousand-page amendments, one after another.
Republicans believe the bill is worded to skew elections to Democrats and say the measure would increase voter fraud, reduce election security, and politicize the election process to favor Democrats.
One provision in the bill would eliminate the bipartisan makeup of the Federal Election Commission by reducing it to five members appointed by Congress and the White House, for example.
Republicans oppose nearly every provision in the legislation, including a provision that would require disclosure of who is funding political advertisements.
Manchin backs the provision and others in the bill that would reinstate campaign finance disclosure laws struck down by the Supreme Court.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Unlimited amounts of dark money have allowed anonymous parties to flood the airwaves with negative advertisements,” Manchin said. “More recently, the lack of transparency in many campaign finance rules provides multiple avenues for foreign and national adversaries to meddle in the American political system.”
The liberal government watchdog group Common Cause issued a statement Thursday that noted Manchin’s past support for Democratic election reform bills, including the For the People Act.
“As the For the People Act goes through the Senate process in 2021, we fully expect Senator Manchin to support the bill again,” Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn said. “At the end of the day, this bill is not about one senator, it’s about us – the people – and ensuring we all have a voice in our democracy.”
