Democratic Senator Joe Manchin has announced that he will vote against the draft reform of the electoral law promoted by his own party, considering that it will further deepen the differences between the two formations and thereby “weaken democracy” in the United States.

In a notably divided Senate, in which the tiebreaker vote of its president, the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, seems essential for the legislative attempts of the Democrats to go ahead, Munchin’s decision has narrowed the possibility of to be approved.

“I believe that the partisan electoral legislation will destroy the already weakened curtains of our democracy and, for that reason, I will vote against the Law for the People”, Manchin has advanced in an opinion article for the ‘Charleston Gazette-Mail’.

For Manchin, this electoral reform “will almost ensure that the divisions between the two parties continue to deepen”, for which he has been in favor of seeking “a bipartisan commitment no matter how difficult it may be,” as well as developing “the political ties that end to divisions. ”

The text, which was already approved in March in the Democratic-dominated House of Representatives, contemplates a series of reforms to the current law such as the creation of independent commissions to avoid interference by parties, an increase in budgets to combat interference. during the campaigns, a voter registration, or the obligation of the states to offer the vote by mail at least fifteen days before the beginning of the early voting.

In this case, the bill has gained special relevance for Democrats, after in recent weeks several state congresses, such as those in Arizona, Georgia, and Florida have been passing legislative reforms promoted by the Republican Party that restrict the right to vote and in some cases even facilitate the annulment of the elections.

US President Joe Biden spoke out against Manchin last week. Without naming him, he responded to criticism of his Administration’s inaction on some issues stating that they only have a majority of four votes in the House and a tie in the Senate, “with two of its members voting more with my Republican friends”, also referring to Senator Kyrsten Sinema.

It is not the first time that Manchin, one of the most conservative Democrats, breaks with party discipline. Recently, he already announced that he would also oppose the bills on the use of and access to firearms, which have already been approved by the House of Representatives, but now need the endorsement of the Senate.

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