- ABC News
- January 18, 2022
Alabama football coach Nick Saban was among a handful of sports figures from West Virginia to sign a letter urging Sen. Joe Manchin to support the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act. The letter, which was made public on Monday, also was signed by NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West, former West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck, former NFL All-Pro Darryl Talley and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Manchin and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema have thus far refused to support making a filibuster exception for the voting rights bill. Without the 60 votes to overcome the filibuster, proposed legislation can be kept off the Senate floor indefinitely. Last week, Manchin released a statement reiterating his commitment to neither eliminate nor weaken the filibuster, the consequences of which, he said, would "only pour fuel onto the fire of political whiplash and dysfunction that is tearing this nation apart." The Freedom to Vote Act aims to expand voter registration and voting access,...