Moscow Mitch Opposes Voting Measure Sought By Joe Manchin
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) came out against the John Lewis Voting Rights Act on Tuesday, dealing a huge blow to a compromise voting measure sought by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
Manchin has irked his fellow Democratic colleagues over his opposition to the “For the People Act,” a package of sweeping voting and ethics reforms that Democrats have described as key to the survival of democracy. Federal voting changes, Manchin has argued, should be done on a bipartisan basis to instill confidence in elections.
Instead, Manchin wants Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, another Democratic measure that is backed by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). That legislation, named after the late civil rights legend and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), is more narrowly tailored and would, in theory, address GOP efforts to restrict voting access at the state level.
Specifically, the bill would restore the provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013 that required states with a history of discrimination to clear any proposed voting changes at the state level with the federal government.
But as McConnell demonstrated on Tuesday, Republicans aren’t likely to support restoring that provision, meaning Manchin’s preferred alternative on voting rights is also dead on arrival in the Senate.
https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/voting-joe-manchin-mcconnell-205540849.html
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