Democrats Consider Changes to Voting Bill Amid Manchin Opposition
Senate Democrats said they were considering changes to their election overhaul proposal, after pivotal centrist Sen. Joe Manchin made clear he opposed both the current bill and any imminent move to weaken Republicans’ power to block legislation.
“We’re open to changes and modifications as long as it does the job,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.). He added that “we’ve had discussions with Sen. Manchin and they’re continuing.”
The voting measure touches on nearly every aspect of the election system, from how districts are drawn, to how campaigns are financed, to how voters register and verify their eligibility.
Mr. Schumer spoke after Senate Democrats met behind closed doors at a weekly lunch at which the impasse was a central topic. Mr. Manchin has called the current bill, the For the People Act or S-1, too partisan and said any changes to election law should have support from both parties. He missed the gathering, and a Manchin spokeswoman said he had a conflicting meeting.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.), the Democratic whip, said members had a candid conversation during Tuesday’s lunch. “There’s a lot of strong feelings about that bill,” he said, adding that most members felt it was necessary and popular. “But we’re waiting to see how Sen. Manchin is going to react.”
Mr. Manchin promised to share a list of provisions that he would find acceptable, said Mr. Durbin. The pledge came after Democrats complained that Mr. Manchin had declined to specify what changes he wanted.
“We have 50 members and we want them all on board,” he said.
Democrats also played down the prospects for an alternative proposal floated by Mr. Manchin, saying it couldn’t act as a replacement for the broader package, while top Republicans rejected the idea outright. That proposal, based on legislation named after the late Rep. John Lewis (D., Ga.), would bring more federal control over state election practices.
On Tuesday morning, Mr. Manchin spoke with civil-rights leaders including Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, and Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, about voting legislation.
“We had a constructive conversation,” Mr. Manchin told reporters after the meeting. “I’m very much concerned about our democracy, protecting people’s voting rights, making sure that that’s done and making sure we understand how fragile, how fragile we are as a country today.”
In an interview, Mr. Morial said that “we asked him to reconsider his position. He didn’t tell us he would reconsider his position, but we’re going to continue our dialogue and we’re going to continue to push.”
The Senate is split evenly, but Democrats have control because Vice President Kamala Harris can break ties. While the voting-rights bill would still require 60 votes to advance, Democrats had hoped to be united behind it. If all 50 Democrats support the legislation, activists hoped to make the case that passing the voting bill would be worth abolishing the 60-vote threshold known as the legislative filibuster.
In recent months, Mr. Manchin repeatedly expressed his concerns with the voting bill and efforts to end or weaken the filibuster. Over the weekend, Mr. Manchin released an opinion article ruling out his support for the current bill.
Mr. Schumer said he was sticking to his plan to hold a vote on the measure this month despite the uncertainty about the bill’s fate. Democrats see little hope of drawing GOP support for any election-related measure, even as some have indicated they would be willing to make changes to the bill.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D., Hawaii) said she would be willing to support a pared-down bill if it meant Democrats could unite behind it. However, she said Mr. Manchin needed to be more explicit in what provisions were problematic.
“I frankly don’t know, for example, where Joe is in terms of the actual provisions because if we’re going to get something done, we have to talk about the actual provisions,” she said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday President Biden was open to what Democratic leadership feels is the viable path forward on voting-rights legislation. She said Mr. Biden is likely to discuss voting rights with Mr. Manchin the next time they speak.
No Senate Republicans support the Democratic bill, calling it an effort by Democrats to control how states run their elections. They have dismissed S-1 as a messaging bill, saying it is designed to rile up the Democrats’ liberal base and fuel calls to end the filibuster without a serious attempt to woo bipartisan support or pass legislation.
Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) said there are elements of voting legislation which could draw bipartisan support, but there is a fundamental challenge: “Republicans don’t think we should federalize elections, right?” he said.
Democrats and their allies have framed the voting bill as critical to preserving access to the ballot box in the face of changes to some states’ laws regarding voting procedures, oversight of elections and other measures.
“I think what Republican governors and legislatures are doing around this country is un-American. It is outrageous,” said Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats. “And in one way or another we’re gonna have to protect American democracy.”
Mr. Manchin hasn’t stated specifically what he believes should be modified for the legislation to gain his support. In March he pointed to elements that he supports, such as mandating at least 15 days of early voting, including on weekends.
Mr. Manchin has argued that the John Lewis bill could garner bipartisan support, but Democrats have said the measure isn’t sufficient on its own. The bill would provide an updated formula for determining which states are required to preclear changes to their voting laws with the federal government.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said in a letter to colleagues Tuesday that she wants the John Lewis bill to become law but not as a replacement for the broader package. She said that the Lewis bill wouldn’t be ready for a vote until the fall.
Also, it isn’t clear that such a measure would draw significant GOP backing. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska) supports the measure named after Mr. Lewis, and Sens. Bill Cassidy (R., La.) and Susan Collins (R., Maine) haven’t rejected the bill, saying they need to study it.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said Tuesday he was opposed to the measure, saying it would “grant to the Justice Department almost total ability to determine the voting systems of every state in America.”
Mr. Manchin has portrayed the bill as an evenhanded way to subject all 50 states to preclearance requirements. The bill as drafted in earlier iterations wouldn’t apply to laws put into place since a 2013 Supreme Court decision effectively nullified the power of the government over states that historically suppressed minority votes.
“We need the John Lewis Voting Rights Act because it has a powerful tool for future elections,” said Sen. Raphael Warnock (D., Ga.). “But we’ve got to find a way to protect the assault on democracy that’s happening right now.”
