Nick Saban and Jerry West sign letter asking Joe Manchin to support voting rights legislation
CBSN
Several major sports icons have signed a letter calling on Senator Joe Manchin to support election integrity legislation. The letter — signed by University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban, former NBA star Jerry West, former NFL star Darryl Talley, and former commissioner of the NFL Paul Tagliabue — urged Manchin and other members of Congress to enact "national standards" for federal elections.
"We come from some of our Nation's most popular sports leagues, conferences and teams," the letter said. "Some of us have roots and shaped our lives in West Virginia, other followed very different paths and some of us have been rivals in sports or business. But we are all certain that democracy is best when voting is open to everyone on a level playing field; the referees are neutral; and at the end of the game the final score is respected and accepted."
The letter, addressed directly to Manchin, goes on to state that America's principles of free and balanced elections are under "intentional and unprecedented challenge," noting the more than 20 states with current laws that restrict voting access to "secure partisan advantage."
