Alabama football coach Nick Saban was among a handful of sports figures from West Virginia to sign a letter urging Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, to support the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act.
The letter, which was made public on Monday, also was signed by NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West, former West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck, former NFL All-Pro Darryl Talley and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
Manchin and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, also a Democrat, have thus far refused to support making a filibuster exception for the voting rights bill. Without the 60 votes to overcome the filibuster, proposed legislation can be kept off the Senate floor indefinitely.
Last week, Manchin released a statement reiterating his commitment to neither eliminate nor weaken the filibuster, the consequences of which, he said, would “only pour fuel onto the fire of political whiplash and dysfunction that is tearing this nation apart.”
The Freedom to Vote Act aims to expand voter registration and voting access while limiting the removal of voters from voter rolls. It would also establish Election Day as a federal holiday.
“We strongly support urgently needed legislation that will protect both the rights of voters and the integrity of outcomes in all Federal elections,” the letter to Manchin said. “The Freedom to Vote Act, which you sponsored with Committee Chair Senator [Amy] Klobuchar and other colleagues, effectively addressed these goals. Now we also support your leadership in shaping legislation to secure our democracy by protecting election integrity, principled Presidential transitions and our national security during transitions.
“We come from some of our nation’s most popular sports leagues, conferences and teams. Some of us have roots and shaped our lives in West Virginia. Others followed very different paths and some of us have been rivals in sports or business. But we are all certain that democracy is best when voting is open to everyone on a level playing…
Source : espn
