By Charles Boothe and Charles Owens, Bluefield Daily Telegraph
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked the advancement of a voting rights bill this evening, with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, on opposite sides of the issue.
After expressing earlier concerns about the so-called “For the People Act,” Manchin reversed course Tuesday, voting in support of an updated version of the Democrat-backed election bill that includes changes he requested.
Manchin was the lone Democrat hold-out on the bill until Tuesday afternoon, adding drama to whether the measure would lack full Democratic support.
However, the full support was not enough as Republicans united in blocking debate on the bill, ending its advancement. A procedural vote to open debate on the legislation was defeated 50-50, falling short of the 60 votes needed to succeed…
