James Clyburn Does About Turn On Manchin Voter ID Stance

James Clyburn
James Clyburn

James Clyburn, House Majority Whip has thrown his weight behind Senator Joe Manchin’s proposal to introduce voter ID despite his past opposition to it. He had previously labeled voter ID proposals as being ‘voter suppression.’

James Clyburn clarified that he had always used a card, his first voter registration when he was 21. That is the voter ID that he has always retained and called for widening the scope of the voter’s ID. 

James Clyburn Says That He Has Always Supported Voter’s ID

James Clyburn said that he had always been receptive to a form of identification. But he added that he and his party were against disproportionate ID. He said that any ID that was good for a hunting license should also be considered valid for voting in an election.

Senator Manchin had offered to agree to the voter ID proposal as one of the changes that were proposed in the For The People Act that promises to introduce sweeping election reform measures. It passed the lower house before Republicans in the Senate used a filibuster to block the legislation.

Manchin has proposed that a form of voter’s ID could be used that included documents such as utility bills. This system is followed in 15 states including West Virginia, Manchin’s state.

But Republicans have insisted on a uniform ID with a picture. James Clyburn said that a series of documents should be made acceptable as an identity for voting including the voter’s registration card.

But he also said that voter ID laws were a form of suppression against voter’s rights. He also spoke against closed polling locations and long lines at polling.

James Clyburn had recently spoken against Manchin’s attempts to placate the Senate Republicans, saying that it was more imperative to be with minority voters in the country.

Clyburn also spoke up on the filibuster issues, saying that it ought to do away with constitutional issues, as it has been done for issues relating to the budget. He said that the filibuster should not be used for issues like a citizen’s voting rights. He says that the filibuster has been wrongly used time and again by the Republicans though he was not against it as such.