March, 26 2021, 12:00am EDT
3 Key Takeaways from Sen. Manchin's Calling for Bipartisan Support of Key Voting Rights and Campaign Finance Reforms in S. 1
Yesterday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) reaffirmed his support for protecting voting rights and reforming the campaign finance laws, two key areas addressed by the For the People Act--a sign that momentum continues to grow for the wildly popular legislation. Here are three key takeaways from his statement:
WASHINGTON
Yesterday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) reaffirmed his support for protecting voting rights and reforming the campaign finance laws, two key areas addressed by the For the People Act--a sign that momentum continues to grow for the wildly popular legislation. Here are three key takeaways from his statement:
1. Sen. Manchin clearly indicated his support for a number of provisions of the bill that protect voting rights and strengthen campaign finance laws, saying:
- "A healthy democracy depends on a voting system that is accessible, free, fair, and secure...We can also do more to help those groups that have been historically disenfranchised and underrepresented in our federal elections through bipartisan solutions."
- "Now, more and more lawmakers spend their time dialing for dollars, instead of legislating for their constituents. The never-ending battle to raise money to spend on reelection campaigns cheapens our elections to nothing more than financial transactions. That is why I have and will continually support changing our campaign finance rules."
2. Manchin's statement correctly noted that a number of provisions of the For the People Act have had the support of Republican lawmakers in the past--including the Honest Ads Act, Secure Elections Act, and Prevent Election Hacking Act.
- Earlier this year, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington outlined how many provisions of the For the People Act have bipartisan origins. You can read the report here.
3. While Manchin calls for working towards a bipartisan solution on voting and campaign finance, Senate Republicans have offered no support for major voting and campaign finance provisions in S.1--and if this does not change, then Senate Democrats will have no choice but to pass S.1 without them.
Democracy advocates lauded Sen. Manchin's affirmation of the bill's key provisions, saying:
- Fred Wertheimer, President of Democracy 21: "Democracy 21 thanks Senator Manchin for his strong statement today on the need for the Senate to address voting reforms and reforms to address 'the disturbing role money plays in our democracy.'"
- Adam Green, PCCC Co-Founder: "This statement by Senator Manchin was a game changer... Senator Manchin made clear federal democracy reforms are alive and well--and that he is invested in getting them across the finish line. We'll take that as very good news."
- Karen Hobert Flynn, Common Cause President: "We appreciate that Senator Joe Manchin reaffirmed his commitment to protecting voting rights and strengthening our democracy with big bold reforms today... As the For the People Act goes through the Senate process in 2021, we fully expect Senator Manchin to support the bill again."
- Tiffany Muller, President of End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund: "We thank Senator Manchin for taking a serious, thoughtful approach to the For the People Act."
Repair Our Democracy, a project of Democracy 21, is focused on defending the For the People Act against bad-faith attacks and outright lies.
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