Sen. Manchin proposes changes to Democrats' voting bill

Sen. Joe Manchin is proposing an extensive list of changes to his party's sweeping elections and voting bill, raising hopes among Democrats that they could unite behind the legislation even if the measure is nearly certain to be blocked by Republicans in a showdown Senate vote next week.

Manchin, a West Virginia moderate, said he's now open to supporting a bill if it's revised, despite declaring earlier this month that the measure was the “wrong piece of legislation to bring our country together."

He released a proposed list of changes ahead of a meeting of Senate Democrats Thursday to discuss the path forward. That meeting was called by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer who is vowing to hold a vote on the bill in June no matter what, saying “we have to get it done.”

“People were assuming that I was against (the bill) because there were no Republicans supporting it. It’s not the case at all," Manchin told reporters at the Capitol.

However, he added, “You should not pass any type of a voter bill in the most divisive time in our life unless you have some unity on this thing because you’ll just divide the country further." Manchin said he was “not confident” other Democrats would agree to his proposed changes.

Manchin’s overture comes as Democrats struggle to counteract state-level Republican efforts to restrict voting following Donald Trump’s false claims about a stolen 2020 election. Even if Manchin is brought onboard, the voting bill stands little chance of becoming law. Manchin and other Democrats remain opposed to changes in Senate rules that would be needed to overcome a Republican filibuster.

As written, the Democrats’ bill would bring about the largest overhaul of U.S. voting in a generation, touching nearly every aspect of the electoral process. It would remove hurdles to voting erected in the name of election security, like voter ID laws, while curtailing the influence of big money in politics. It would create a nonpartisan process for redrawing congressional districts, while expanding mail voting and early voting, while restoring the rights of felons to cast a ballot, among scores of other provisions.

Manchin's revisions would curtail, rewrite or eliminate many aspects of the bill. He favors voter ID laws, while Democrats sought to blunt their the impact. He would eliminate the creation of a public financing system for congressional campaigns. And his proposal would allow for greater limits on mail voting.

He has also called for changes to a section on the bill that would create nonpartisan commissions to redraw congressional maps. Manchin, instead, calls for a “ban on partisan gerrymandering” that would “use computer models.”

Yet his list would also leave sizable portions intact or with limited changes.

“A good voting bill basically protects the voters, protects the states and states rights,” Manchin said. “A good voting bill has to be accessible. It has to be fair and it has to be secure."

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Cassidy reported from Atlanta