FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2021, file photo Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., departs on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Alex Brandon / AP
FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2021, file photo Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., departs on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Alex Brandon / AP
Alex Brandon / AP
FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2021, file photo Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., departs on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
(Washington) — A key Democratic senator says he won’t not vote for the largest overhaul of U.S. election law in at least a generation.
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is defying his party and the White House and virtually guaranteeing the failure of the legislation after a near party-line approval in the House.
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.

A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.