Trump fires Election Assistance Commission members ahead of midterms

By Bo Erickson and Erin Banco

WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - ‌U.S. President Donald Trump ​on Thursday ​terminated the last three members of the Election Assistance Commission, the independent, federal commission that assists election administration officials nationwide, the White House confirmed.

The remaining three commissioners of the four-member bipartisan commission were forced out of the ‌commission on Thursday in different ways. The one Republican appointee resigned and the other two Democratic appointees ⁠were fired via an email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office, according to one person familiar with the decision and two other people briefed on the ‌terminations.

The fourth commissioner departed the commission in ‌April.

The terminations follow the recent Supreme Court decision that granted the president more power to fire members of independent agencies, and a push by Trump for more federal intervention in voting processes, traditionally the purview of the states, as midterm elections ​approach in November.

"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 termination email, seen by Reuters, said.

The White ⁠House confirmed the terminations after Reuters' initial report.

"The President, and head of the Executive Branch, reserves the right to remove individuals that may not be totally aligned with the important ​task of securing America’s elections and ensuring every legal vote is counted," a White House official said in a statement, citing the Supreme Court decision as precedent.

The official added that the Trump administration ​has been "working across all agencies and local partners to safeguard elections from ‌fraud and abuse, and investing in a strong infrastructure to sustain that mission especially in the midterm elections."

The Election Assistance Commission serves as a "national clearinghouse of information on election administration," accredits testing laboratories and ⁠certifies voting systems, and maintains the national mail voter registration form developed by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, according to the commission's website.

The terminations follow advocacy from Trump and top administration officials to change vote-by-mail requirements ahead of the midterm elections, and investigations into the 2020 presidential election ⁠outcome, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

In his second term, Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that the 2020 election was rigged.

COMMISSION'S FUTURE UNCLEAR

The election ​commission was established by Congress in 2002 through the Help America Vote Act. The four commissioners are appointed by the president, are required to be evenly split with two Democrats and two Republicans, and ultimately need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

The three remaining commissioners who were forced out, ‌Thomas Hicks, Benjamin Hovland and Christy McCormick, were all unanimously confirmed by the Senate.

The 2002 law states the president can appoint replacements to the commission, but it is unclear how Trump will move ‌ahead with the commission.

Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said in a Thursday social media post the terminations should "concern every American, regardless of party."

"Removing every ⁠remaining commissioner just months before the 2026 midterm elections ‌is an extraordinary step that demands ​an immediate explanation from the administration and raises profound concerns about political interference in the institutions that support our elections," Warner said.

(Reporting by Bo Erickson and Erin Banco in Washington; Editing by Donna Bryson, Stephen Coates ‌and Lincoln Feast.)

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