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Trump empties EAC
President Donald Trump fired all three remaining members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on Thursday, leaving the four-member body with no commissioners and unable to take official action until replacements are installed.
“President Donald Trump fired all three remaining members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on Thursday”
Votebeat reported that two Democratic commissioners, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, were notified by email that their positions were terminated effective immediately, and that the third commissioner, Republican Christy McCormick, was allowed to resign.
The firings came after the Supreme Court granted the president power to fire leaders of independent agencies in late June, and Votebeat said the EAC was created by Congress after the 2000 election to help states improve election administration without federalizing elections.
The White House defended the move, with a White House official telling Votebeat that “The Slaughter decision gives the President precedence to do so,” while the EAC did not respond to a request for comment.
Accusations and quotes
The Guardian said Trump’s move to paralyze the Election Assistance Commission “wipes out the only federal agency devoted solely to election administration” months before the midterms, and it quoted NAACP president Derrick Johnson accusing Trump of trying to rig the election.
Chuck Schumer, the Democratic US Senate minority leader, wrote on social media that “Firing every remaining member of the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission months before the midterms is a brazen attempt to seize control of our elections before a single vote is cast,” and the Guardian said the dismissals followed Trump’s own suggestion that Republicans should “take over the voting.”
The Guardian reported that the two Democrats, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, were told by email on Thursday that they were terminated effective immediately, while the sole remaining Republican, Christy McCormick, was pushed to resign rather than fired outright.
It also said the White House argued the president has authority to remove officials not fully aligned with securing elections and cited the Supreme Court’s ruling expanding his power, while election law scholars said the reach into bipartisan bodies like the EAC remains untested.
What’s at risk next
With no commissioners left, the EAC cannot vote to take formal action, and The Guardian said that leaves the agency unable to update voting standards or the federal registration form.
“With no commissioners left, it cannot vote to take any formal action.”
The Guardian warned that the paralysis could freeze changes the administration has pushed for, including a citizenship documentation requirement already blocked in part by courts, and it said replacements would need Senate confirmation that could drag well past the midterms.
Lawfare described the immediate consequence of the July 9 removals as that the EAC “cannot act,” pointing to the Help America Vote Act voting rule that requires “approval of at least three of its members.”
Lawfare added that the only path to a functioning EAC runs through Senate nomination and confirmation, and it said the Senate has not confirmed a new EAC commissioner since February 2019, leaving the agency without a realistic prospect of regaining capacity soon.