Trump fires remaining members of US Election Assistance Commission, raising midterm chaos fears
President Donald Trump has terminated the last three members of the independent Election Assistance Commission, sparking concerns about election administration just months before the midterm elections.
According to multiple reports on Thursday, Donald Trump has dismissed the remaining members of the independent federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC), which aids election officials nationwide. The move comes just a few months before the upcoming midterm elections.
The three of the four bipartisan commissioners were removed on Thursday. The Republican appointee resigned, while the two Democratic appointees were notified of their termination via email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office. The email, seen by Reuters, stated: "On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The EAC serves as a national clearinghouse for election administration information, accredits testing laboratories, certifies voting systems, and maintains the national mail-in voter registration form developed by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. These terminations follow Trump and top administration officials' advocacy to change vote-by-mail requirements and investigations into the 2020 election outcome, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said in a statement Thursday: "It is irresponsible and dangerous that this Administration remains dead set on causing chaos for our election officials across this country. This move undermines the integrity of nonpartisan election administration."
The 2002 law that established the commission, the Help America Vote Act, allows the president to appoint replacements. It is unclear how Trump will proceed with the commission.
