President Donald Trump has dismantled the remaining leadership of the federal Election Assistance Commission just months before midterm voting, forcing out the last three commissioners through resignation demands and termination emails.
The independent, bipartisan agency that oversees voting system certification, accredits testing laboratories, and maintains the national mail-voter registration form found itself without leadership Thursday. One Republican commissioner resigned while two Democratic appointees received termination notices via email from the White House personnel office, according to reporting from multiple outlets.
"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," the email stated, as seen by Reuters.
The commission operates as a national clearinghouse for election administration information and manages the voter registration form created under the 1993 National Voter Registration Act. Election officials in states across the country rely on its certification standards and data resources during cycles.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes criticized the move in a statement Thursday, calling it "irresponsible and dangerous." He argued the administration was "dead set on causing chaos for our election officials across this country" and said the action "undermines the integrity of nonpartisan election administration."
The terminations follow Trump's push to tighten mail-voting rules and his ongoing investigations into the 2020 election outcome. The Help America Vote Act of 2002, which established the commission, grants the president authority to appoint replacement commissioners. It remains unclear how Trump intends to reconstitute the agency's leadership or whether he plans to fill the vacancies before the midterms.
Author James Rodriguez: "Gutting an election commission three months before midterms while still litigating 2020 sends exactly the message Trump wants voters to hear about his plans for voting access."
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