Sen. Manchin Releases List of S. 1 Provisions He Supports
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As Senate Democrats head toward a vote on the landmark For the People Act in the coming weeks, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) who has said he will not vote for the current version of the bill, released a memo outlining which provisions and reforms he would support. Among the key policies in the legislation that Manchin says he would vote for are universal early voting, a ban on partisan gerrymandering, automatic voter registration and making Election Day a federal holiday. However, he proposed alternative voter ID provisions and expanding the power of election officials to purge voters from the rolls.
There are many key Democratic priorities from the legislation that Manchin will not support, the memo highlighted. These include same-day Election Day registration, the restoration of ex-felon voting rights and no-excuse mail voting. Other Senate Democrats have not yet said which of these provisions, if any, they would be willing to cut from the legislation in order to gain Manchin’s vote. Even if the West Virginia senator and the rest of the Democratic caucus arrive at a compromise before a vote on the bill, the Republicans are highly likely to filibuster the legislation.