Manchin Pens Op-Ed Opposing Election Reform Bill: ‘Partisan’ Efforts ‘Risk Further Dividing and Destroying the Republic’

Senator Joe Manchin (D- WV) penned an op-ed saying he’s voting against the For the People Act, the voting rights bill Democrats have been pushing, and reaffirmed his ardent opposition to killing the filibuster.

In his Charleston Gazette-Mail op-ed, Manchin writes “the fundamental right to vote has itself become overtly politicized” and laments both “state laws that seek to needlessly restrict voting or politicians who ignore the need to secure our elections.”

“Congressional action on federal voting rights legislation must be the result of both Democrats and Republicans coming together to find a pathway forward,” he says, “or we risk further dividing and destroying the republic we swore to protect and defend as elected officials.”

There have been calls for Democrats to kill the filibuster to get voting rights legislation passed, but Manchin again defends it and says it would be a mistake to kill it for this legislation.

“Some Democrats have again proposed eliminating the Senate filibuster rule in order to pass the For the People Act with only Democratic support,” Manchin writes. “They’ve attempted to demonize the filibuster and conveniently ignore how it has been critical to protecting the rights of Democrats in the past.”

He says he backs the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and touts “there is bipartisan support” to pass it.

You can read the full op-ed here.