The key swing voter in the U.S. Senate, Joe Manchin, opposed the bill to expand voting rights and was supported by Democrats.

West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin announced on Sunday that he intends to oppose a broad voting rights bill supported by a majority of his Democratic colleagues, which will expand voting opportunities across the United States.

Manchin said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday” that this bill called “Act for the People” “is the wrong legislation that unites our country and unites our country. I don’t support this because I Think it will divide us further.”

Manchin is the key to controlling the U.S. Senate, which is divided equally between Democrats and Republicans. By crossing party lines to oppose legislation or prevent White House appointments, he has sometimes proved to be a thorn in the eyes of the Biden administration.

He has also been opposed to efforts to eliminate obstruction bills, which will make it easier for the Democratic Party to pass legislation.

If the voting rights bill is submitted to the Senate, Manchin intends to oppose the voting rights bill, which will complicate the Democratic majority leader Chuck Schumer. Schumer promised to advance legislation without Republican support.

The bill will require states to expand mail voting, which was widely used in last year’s presidential election due to the coronavirus pandemic, and it will also extend the time for in-person voting.

As the main sponsor of the People’s Bill, Oregon Democrat Senator Jeff Merkley said in a statement that he was disappointed with Manchin’s position, but he would not give up.

“I am open to any dialogue about the provisions of the bill and will not abandon American democracy,” he said.

Republican-controlled state legislatures in places like Texas and Georgia have since sought strong support Reduce postal voting, Because former President Donald Trump continued to falsely claim that he was stolen in the 2020 election.

In an op-ed published in the Charleston Gazette on Sunday, Manchin outlined his opposition to the voting rights bill in more detail, saying he was concerned about the measure’s complete lack of Republican support.

“Partial voting and electoral reforms will almost ensure that partisan divisions continue to deepen,” he wrote.

U.S. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin is the key swing vote in the Senate [File: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]

Manchin said that he would support an alternative voting bill that has gained broad support from both parties, the John Lewis Voting Rights Promotion Bill.

The bill, named after the late congressman John Lewis, will restore the necessity for certain states and counties to obtain federal approval before redrawing voting districts. Legal requirements rejected by the county v. Holder’s decision.

He wrote: “My Republican colleague Senator Lisa Murkowski (Lisa Murkowski) joins me in urging the Senate leadership to update and pass the bill through regular orders.”

He also criticized the Democratic Party for seeking to eliminate obstruction, saying that “absolute power leads to absolute corruption.”

“What I saw during my stay in Washington was that every ruling party wanted to exercise absolute power, absolute. Our founders wisely saw the temptation of absolute power and established specific checks and balances to force compromises to maintain Our fragile democracy,” he wrote.