By Brian Brant
(WASHINGTON) Former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on Thursday praised West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin's proposed changes to voting rights legislation, which is important given Abrams' focus on voting reforms, according to CNN.
"Those provisions that he is setting forth are strong ones that will create a level playing field, will create standards that do not vary from state to state, and I think will ensure that every American has improved access to the right to vote despite the onslaught of state legislations seeking to restrict access to the right to vote," Abrams said after Manchin, a moderate, released ideas on Wednesday to alter Democrats sweeping For the People Act in its current form.
Some provisions of Manchin, an important Democratic vote in the 50-50 divided Congress, include making Election Day a holiday, banning gerrymandering, mandating at least 15 consecutive days of early voting and establishing a voter ID requirement that includes a utility bill as an alternative.
Abrams would not specifically endorse Manchin's proposed changes, including voter ID provisions, but CNN notes, she didn't reject them either.
"What has been problematic is the type of restrictive ID that we've seen pop up," she said. "Our point is simply that the restrictions on the forms of ID should meet the needs of the people. And what he is proposing makes sense because it says what we've had in this country for so many decades which is that people can prove their identity in various ways but we should not narrow the playing field so much that we push voters out of participation simply because of restrictions that make no sense and do not increase security."