WASHINGTON, July 9 - President Donald Trump on Thursday terminated the remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), according to one person familiar with the decision and two other people briefed on the matter. The independent federal commission, which advises and assists election administrators across the United States, lost three of its four commissioners on the same day through different means.
One Republican appointee resigned, while two Democratic appointees were informed of their dismissal in a message from the White House Presidential Personnel Office. The White House email to the commissioners said, "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 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The EAC serves as what it describes on its website as a national clearinghouse for information on election administration. Among its responsibilities, the commission accredits laboratories that test voting equipment, certifies voting systems and maintains the national mail voter registration form created under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
The terminations come after a period in which President Trump and senior administration officials advocated changes to vote-by-mail rules and pursued investigations into the 2020 election outcome, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden. The timing and the manner of the removals drew immediate criticism from election officials.
"It is irresponsible and dangerous that this Administration remains dead set on causing chaos for our election officials across this country," Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said in a statement. "This move undermines the integrity of nonpartisan election administration."
The Help America Vote Act of 2002, the statute that created the EAC, provides that the president may appoint replacements to the commission. At this stage it is unclear how the administration will proceed in filling the now-vacant seats or how quickly nominations and confirmations, if required, will take place.
Context limitations - The available reporting specifies the mode of notification and the commission’s duties as listed on its website; details about the administration’s next steps to repopulate the commission were not available at the time of reporting.