Democracy 21 Thanks Senator Joe Manchin for Strong Statement on S. 1 Today

| |  by

Democracy 21 Thanks Senator Joe Manchin for Strong Statement on S. 1 that Recognizes Need to Address Both Voting and Campaign Finance Reforms
Statement of Democracy President Fred Wertheimer

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.”

These areas of concern are both addressed in S. 1, the For the People Act.

Senator Manchin said in his statement, “A healthy democracy depends on a voting system that is accessible, free, fair, and secure.” This is the basis for the voting rights reforms in S. 1, and Senator Manchin expressed explicit support for a number of them in his statement.

Senator Manchin also expressed his concerns about the lack of transparency for money being spent in our elections and the damaging role that money is playing in our politics today.

Senator Manchin said:

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.

Senator Manchin continued to call for bipartisan solutions to these problems, but also recognized there are a number of proposals with bipartisan support already in S. 1.

For decades, campaign finance, voting rights and other democracy reforms had bipartisan leaders and bipartisan support in Congress. This changed after the Supreme Court decisions in Citizens United (2010) and Shelby County (2013). Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has led congressional Republicans in stonewalling these reforms.

The reforms in S. 1 have bipartisan support in the country. There is broad support from Democrats, Republicans, and independents.  It is congressional Republicans who have been uniformly opposing the reforms in S. 1 and H.R. 1, the House version.

If Senate Republicans continue to take this position, S. 1, a bill with broad, bipartisan support in the country, will have to be passed by Senate Democrats, as the House did in passing H.R. 1 earlier this month.

###