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Trump Pushes Out Last Federal Election Assistance Commission Members
ProPublica • • general
Key Points:
- President Donald Trump has removed the three remaining members of the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission (EAC), effectively dismantling the agency ahead of the midterm elections.
- Democrats Benjamin Hovland and Thomas Hicks were fired, while Republican Christy McCormick was allowed to resign; this follows the earlier resignation of Republican Don Palmer in April.
- The EAC, established in 2003 to set voting system standards and provide funding, is designed to have equal Republican and Democrat representation, but now stands vacant, allowing Trump to appoint potentially more aligned replacements.
- Trump previously issued an executive order directing the EAC to require proof of U.S. citizenship on voter registration forms, a move opposed by many and still under consideration before the commission's dissolution.
- The dismantling has drawn criticism from voter advocacy groups and Democratic officials, who warn it undermines election support infrastructure and bipartisan governance in election administration.
