WASHINGTON (AP) — A key Democratic senator says he won't vote for the largest overhaul of U.S. election law in at least a generation.
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin's stand leaves no plausible path forward for legislation that his party and the White House have portrayed as crucial for protecting access to the ballot.
Manchin writes in a home-state newspaper that "voting and election reform that is done in a partisan manner will all but ensure partisan divisions continue to deepen."
Manchin says lawmakers should instead focus their energies on revitalizing the landmark Voting Rights Act., which was weakened by a Supreme Court decision in 2013.
