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Sen. Joe Manchin (D.-WV) says he will not vote for The People Act or to end the filibuster, claiming the legislation has no Republicans support. But he knows or should know that bipartisan support will not be forthcoming. Remember when Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.-KY) warned, “One hundred percent of my focus is standing up to this administration.” It seems Sen. Manchin is now aligned with Sen. McConnell and former president Trump in stymying President Biden’s agenda.  

According to findings of a RepresentUs poll, more than two-thirds of West Virginia voters support the For the People Act, including a super-majority of Trump voters. Seventy-one percent of West Virginia voters say they would like their senators to vote yes on the For the People Act, including 45% who think their senators should definitely vote yes. Just 13% of voters would like their senator to vote no, while 16% are undecided. More than two-thirds of Trump voters support the bill. 

As of May 14, at least 389 bills in 48 Republican-controlled states have passed voter suppression laws with more such laws on the horizon. Voting rights should not be partisan. Republican-sponsored state voter suppression laws are.  

Unless the For the People Act is passed, these state voter suppression laws could cost the Democrat’s majorities in both the House and Senate in the midterm elections. If the Democrats lose a majority in either body, nothing will pass in Congress the last two years of Biden’s presidency, opening the door for the unthinkable — the return of Trump to the White House. 

Sen. Manchin should honor his constituents’ views on the For the People Act, and the integrity of our elections instead of serving Trump and McConnell’s political ambitions.