Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., proposed changes that the Senate Democrats could make to their HR1 election power-grab bill—the so-called For the People Act—to earn his support, the Western Journal reported.
Manchin included some provisions that both Republicans and Democrats have traditionally supported, which aligns with his insistence that “federal voting rights legislation must be the result of both Democrats and Republicans coming together.”
“The right to vote is fundamental to our American democracy and protecting that right should not be about party or politics,” he said.
In a three-page memo, Manchin added more than two dozens new demands to H.R. 1, including mandatory voter ID nationwide and 15 days of early voting for federal elections.
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Most provisions, however, favor Democratic priorities.
He wants Congress to declare election day a public holiday, to strip state legislatures of the right to draw Congressional Districts and instead empower bureaucrats and computer models to draw them, and to mandate automatic voter registration through the DMV.
The voter-ID requirement alone may prevent House and Senate Democrats from approving Manchin’s changes. Democrats know that mandatory nationwide photo ID would lessen the benefits they receive from widespread voter fraud.
Only seven states have enacted strict photo ID requirements, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
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Manchin’s proposal would allow voters to show alternative forms of identification, like a utility bill with the voter’s name and address.
He also said that he will not support the bill’s public financing system for federal elections.
In a nod to the Democratic Party’s obsession with former President Donald Trump‘s tax returns, Manchin’s reform would mandate that presidents and vice presidents disclose personal and business tax returns.
“I’ve been sharing everything that I support and things I can support and vote with and things that I think is in the bill that doesn’t need to be in the bill,” Manchin said.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will force a vote on the 900-page power-grab this week despite almost certain defeat.
