Washington, D.C. (May 11, 2021): More than two-thirds of West Virginia voters support the For the People Act, including a super-majority of Trump voters, according to findings of a RepresentUs poll. The poll also found that voters would not punish Sen. Joe Manchin, whose support is needed to pass the legislation, if he votes yes on the bill. The For the People Act, which passed the House, goes to the Senate for markup today.
Nearly all of the key provisions of the For the People Act are highly popular with West Virginia voters, including ensuring people’s right to vote, implementing national standards for elections, reducing the influence of big money and lobbyists in politics, and strengthening ethics laws. The poll of 402 voters was conducted April 15 to April 17.
“Making our elections fair and honest is not a partisan issue,” said RepresentUs CEO Josh Silver. “Over and over again, the American people are saying they want to get big money out of politics, they want a check on lobbyists, and they want integrity in our elections. The poll shows West Virginians are no different.”
Seventy-one percent of West Virginia voters say they would like their senators to vote yes on the For the People Act, including 45 percent who think their senators should definitely vote yes. Just 13 percent of voters would like their senator to vote no, while 16 percent are undecided. More than two-thirds of Trump voters support the bill.
The poll found that voters want both West Virginia senators to support the For the People Act. Sen. Manchin, seen as a key vote, sees a net gain politically from voters in his home state by supporting the For the People Act. After hearing that most Republican elected officials are opposing the For the People Act and most Democratic elected officials favor it, 42 percent of voters say they would be more likely to support Sen. Manchin if he voted for this legislation, while 24 percent say they would be less likely to support him.
RepresentUs and UnPAC are holding an event today in Charleston, West Virginia outside Senator Shelley Moore Capito’s office to call on her to support the bill. Sen. Capito sits on the Rules Committee, which is considering the legislation in markup today. Speakers will point to Sen. Capito’s commitment to bipartisanship.
The For the People Act would end partisan redistricting at the federal level by establishing independent commissions to draw voting district lines. RepresentUs rated West Virginia an extreme risk of gerrymandering in our Gerrymandering Threat Index. As West Virginia will be losing a congressional seat, the issue takes on more urgency.
RepresentUs is building on the success of more than 120 statewide anti-corruption victories to mobilize millions of its members behind passage of the For the People Act. It has created an online resource hub to help volunteers.
Contact:
Rachel Barnhart, PR Director
rbarnhart@represent.us
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RepresentUs is the nation’s largest grassroots anti-corruption campaign, bringing together conservatives, progressives, and everyone in between to pass anti-corruption laws in cities and states to stop political bribery, end secret money, and fix our broken elections.