Vox Sentences - Manchin’s move on voting rights

Joe Manchin has a potential voting rights compromise; Iran will elect a new president Friday.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum. Sentences is off Friday to observe the Juneteenth holiday.

Manchin unveils voting rights proposal

Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via Getty Images

• When Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) came out against Democrats’ For The People Act, a comprehensive voting rights bill, its chances of Senate passage, as drafted, were effectively doomed. [The Hill / Jordain Carney]
• But Manchin has breathed new life into Democrats’ voting rights and election reform campaign with a white paper outlining the proposals he does support, creating a potential compromise path for Democrats. [The Washington Post / Mike DeBonis]
• Manchin’s compromise includes some proposals that are embraced by Republicans, such as a nationwide voter identification law, though items like utility bills could be used as proof of address, and allowing states to purge voter rolls. [The Associated Press / Brain Slodysko, Christina Cassidy, and Alexandra Jaffe]
• Some of the Democratic provisions that Manchin embraced include ending partisan gerrymandering through mandating computer-drawn maps, making Election Day a federal holiday, requiring 15 days of early voting, and greater disclosure requirements for dark money groups. [Vox / Ian Millhiser]
• Stacey Abrams, arguably the biggest voice in the Democratic Party on voting rights, said she absolutely supports Manchin’s compromise, calling it a strong first step. [Politico / Quint Forgey and Zach Montellaro]
• But despite the bones Manchin threw to Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell shot the plan down almost immediately, saying it was a compromise within the Democratic Party and no Senate Republican would support Manchin’s changes to redistricting and campaign finance law. [Twitter / Igor Bobic]
• That suggests the only path remaining for Democrats is filibuster reform or elimination. Manchin recently signaled a little openness to some reforms, such as lowering the filibuster threshold or requiring all members of the minority party to be present. [Newsweek / Katherine Fung]

Iran to elect new leader

• Iranians will vote Friday to choose a successor for embattled President Hassan Rouhani. Dissatisfaction among Iran’s young population with Iran’s lack of freedoms, threat of war, and high prices are underscoring the regime change. [The Associated Press / Mohammad Nasiri]
• Low turnout is expected, given the lack of choice in the election process. There are no true reformist candidates running; they were all rejected by the country’s vetting body. [Al Jazeera / Maziar Motamedi and Alia Chughtai]
• That has benefited hardline candidate Ebrahim Raisi, the preferred candidate of the Ayatollah, who has links to mass killings in 1988. [The Washington Post / Kareem Fahim]
• Raisi is a judiciary chief who is expected to crack down on dissent domestically and return Iran to a more isolated global position. [CNN]

The Supreme Court rejected yet another challenge to the Affordable Care Act, upholding former President Barack Obama’s landmark law in a 7-2 decision. [Vox / Ian Millhiser]

• President Joe Biden signed a bill making June 19 a federal holiday in honor of Juneteenth, meaning federal employees will get Friday off. [The Washington Post / John Wagner, Colby Itkowitz, and Eugene Scott]
• After a surge in early May, the price of lumber is crashing, with 14 of the past 16 trading days ending in a decline. [The Wall Street Journal / Ryan Dezember]
• Tessica Brown, the “Gorilla Glue Girl” who went viral for putting Gorilla Glue in her hair, is launching a hair care line. [BuzzFeed News / Ade Onibada]

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“It still subverts the First Amendment to supercharge cancel culture and the left's name-and-shame campaign model. It takes redistricting away from state legislatures and hands it over to computers.”

[Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, on Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)’s proposed voting rights compromise]

In this special edition of Vox Conversations in honor of the Juneteenth holiday, Vox race reporter Fabiola Cineas spoke with author and podcast host Ibram X. Kendi before a virtual audience about the big ideas around being anti-racist. [Spotify / Fabiola Cineas]

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