Trump Removes Election Commissioners as Federal Voting Agency Faces Midterm Uncertainty
President Donald Trump has removed members of the Election Assistance Commission, leaving the bipartisan federal election-support agency without sitting commissioners months before the midterm elections.
Reuters reported that Trump fired the commission’s two Democratic members while its remaining Republican commissioner resigned. A fourth seat had already been vacant since April. The White House confirmed the removals and said the president has authority to remove officials not aligned with his election-security priorities.
The EAC does not run U.S. elections. State and local officials do. But the agency has an important federal role. It helps election officials administer elections, develops voting-system guidance, certifies voting systems, accredits testing laboratories, maintains the national mail voter registration form, and audits certain federal election funds.
That makes the timing politically sensitive. Reuters reported separately that administration officials had discussed ways to bypass the agency and use emergency powers to force changes involving voting machines before the firings. Reuters also reported that without a quorum, the EAC remains operational but cannot take up new business such as changes to voting procedures or the national mail voter registration form.
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Democrats framed the move as a power grab. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the dismissals a “brazen attempt to seize control of our elections” before the midterms.
The White House rejected that framing, saying the administration is working with agencies and local partners to safeguard elections from fraud and abuse.
The next question is whether Trump will nominate replacements. Under the Help America Vote Act, the EAC has four commissioners nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, with no more than two from the same party.
For now, the story’s practical consequence is institutional. The agency that supports voting-system certification and election administration is operating without commissioners while a broader fight over federal election authority accelerates.
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