On July 9, Trump terminated the remaining Democrats, Benjamin Hovland and Thomas Hicks, from the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Republican Christy McCormick resigned from her position.
This comes after months of the Trump administration seeking to bypass the EAC via the use of emergency powers. Trump’s Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) advised him to declare a national emergency and establish a task force to alter voting machines, under the pretense that they are vulnerable. The removal of three members of the committee renders it without a quorum; it is unable to implement any changes in voting.
A White House official accused the terminated election commissioners of not being “totally aligned with the important task of securing America’s elections and ensuring every legal vote is counted.” There is no evidence of this. Other White House officials expressed frustration at the slow speed of the EAC, but this is a normal quality of the organization, due to the complexity of voting systems and the relevant technology.
The EAC is a bipartisan and independent federal organization.
