WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump moved Thursday to remove all remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, the independent federal agency responsible for supporting election officials throughout the United States, according to three people with knowledge of the action.
The four-member, bipartisan commission had three sitting members at the time of the removals. The sole Republican appointee stepped down voluntarily, while the two Democratic appointees were informed of their dismissal through an email sent by the White House Presidential Personnel Office.
The termination email, reviewed by Reuters, read: “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 had not responded to requests for comment as of the time of this report.
According to its own website, the Election Assistance Commission functions as a national resource for information on how elections are run. It also accredits laboratories that test voting equipment, certifies voting systems, and oversees the national mail voter registration form created under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
The firings come as Trump and members of his administration have pushed to overhaul mail-in voting rules and continued to pursue investigations into the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes issued a statement Thursday condemning the action. “It is irresponsible and dangerous that this Administration remains dead set on causing chaos for our election officials across this country,” Fontes said. “This move undermines the integrity of nonpartisan election administration.”
The Help America Vote Act, the 2002 legislation that created the commission, does give the president authority to appoint new members. However, it remains unclear what Trump’s next steps will be regarding the future of the commission.
