Key Democrat opposes "partisan" elections bill

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin said he will not vote for the largest overhaul of U.S. election law in at least a generation. He believes the bill will further divide Americans. Manchin’s defection all but guarantees the legislation will fail in the Senate after it passed largely down party lines in the House.

What would the bill do? It would shift more control over voting regulations from states to Washington, restrict gerrymandering of congressional districts, and enact new campaign finance regulations. It would also strike down voting measures passed in some GOP-led states that Democrats charge are designed to make it tougher for minorities to vote. Republicans contend the rules only make it tougher to vote fraudulently.

Dig deeper: Read Jamie Dean’s report in WORLD about Manchin and his crucial role in the Senate.