When Senator Manchin comes to the realization that Republicans in the Senate are not acting in good faith, he is going to have to make a decision about whether he is committed to protecting everyone’s freedom to vote
End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund President Tiffany Mueller released the following statement on Senator Joe Manchin’s announcement about his vote on the For the People Act.
“Senator Manchin’s concerns with the For the People Act (HR1/S1) remain on the process, not the substance. He holds two diametrically opposed, competing positions: That we should protect the right to vote and that we must pass a bill with 10 Republicans.
“We share Sen. Manchin’s desire for bipartisanship on voting rights, but as he has proved with his own proposal to modify the Voting Rights Act, there are not 10 Republicans willing to do the right thing. In fact, the bill to create a January 6 commission that he used as an example of bipartisanship also failed to gain the support of 10 Republicans.
“When Senator Manchin comes to the realization that Republicans in the Senate are not acting in good faith, he is going to have to make a decision about whether he is truly committed to protecting everyone’s freedom to vote – because that fundamental right is under attack across the country.
“Our nation has a history of protecting the freedom to vote without bipartisan support when one of the parties itself is posing the threat to voting. It is how we passed the 15th amendment, which protects the right to vote for all Americans regardless of race.
“The threat today are the hundreds of partisan restrictive voting bills Republicans are jamming through states across the country. These bills are completely partisan and we have already seen 25 bills become law in 11 states threatening the core of free and fair elections. The For the People Act would counteract these laws. Despite the intransigence of Senate Republicans, it has broad bipartisan support in West Virginia and across the country. That is why we must pass HR1/S1.
“Additionally, we also must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to protect against future efforts to roll back voting rights; however, that bill will not counteract the restrictive voting bills that have passed in the state. We need both of these bills.
“This time is approaching quickly for Senator Manchin to come to this realization, and as he has stated previously “inaction is not an option.”
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