Secretary of State Mac Warner urges Senator Manchin to oppose another federal attempt to takeover states’ election administration

Charleston, W.Va – Secretary Warner penned a letter today in response to Senator Manchin’s request for feedback on the proposed "Freedom to Vote Act" released yesterday by Senator Amy Klobuchar. Secretary Warner calls the proposal "nothing more than a watered-down version of H.R. 1, the so-called ‘For the People Act.’"

As Secretary of State, Warner is the chief elections officer for the state of West Virginia. His office works closely with 55 locally elected county clerks and legislative leaders on the impacts of election-related legislation.

According to Warner, the new federal takeover legislation is yet another attempt by Washington, D.C. bureaucrats to take control of state and local election administration. The legislation has been touted as a “compromise” by its drafters and supporters.

However, previous versions proposed by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Amy Klobuchar and others, have failed to move forward in Congress due to a lack of bi-partisan support from the members and public. The provisions of this newly re-worded version of H.R. 1 differ so slightly from its previous forms, Warner has urged Senator Manchin to reject this repeat attempt at removing local control over state elections.

"The ‘Freedom to Vote Act’ is a solution in search of a problem," Warner said. "It is nothing more than an attempt to circumvent the authority placed on state legislatures by the U.S. Constitution.”

You can read Secretary Warner's entire letter to Senator Manchin by CLICKING HERE.