President Donald Trump has now reportedly removed the final three commissioners serving on the bipartisan federal agency that helps states and local governments administer elections, according to a report published Thursday night by VoteBeat.
The report, citing three officials familiar with the matter, said Trump dismissed the Election Assistance Commission’s two Democratic commissioners while allowing the board’s remaining Republican commissioner to resign.
The Election Assistance Commission, commonly known as the EAC, plays a supporting role in the nation’s election system by providing guidance and resources to state and local election officials. Among its responsibilities are training election administrators on new voting technology, managing the national mail voter registration form, and overseeing the testing and certification program for voting machines used across the country.
According to VoteBeat, Trump’s actions leave the commission without its remaining members after the two Democratic commissioners were fired and the Republican commissioner stepped down.
The EAC was created as a bipartisan body to assist election officials rather than administer elections directly. Its work includes helping jurisdictions adopt and understand evolving voting technologies, maintaining the federal mail voter registration form, and certifying voting equipment through its testing program.
Some of the voting machines certified through that process became the subject of criticism from Trump following the 2020 presidential election. After losing to former President Joe Biden, Trump repeatedly argued that certain voting machines improperly shifted votes away from him and toward Biden.
Trump has continued to maintain that the 2020 election was rigged against him.
The report notes that the voting machines overseen through the EAC’s certification process were among those Trump criticized in the aftermath of the election.
VoteBeat reported that the personnel changes were confirmed by three officials familiar with the matter. According to the outlet, the two Democratic commissioners were dismissed, while the Republican commissioner was permitted to resign rather than be fired.
The Election Assistance Commission’s mission extends beyond voting machine certification. The agency also provides training for election officials on new election technology and administers the national mail voter registration form used by eligible voters across the country.
The commission has long served as a resource for state and local election administrators by offering guidance and technical assistance while helping establish standards for election equipment through its certification program.
Thursday’s reported shakeup marks a significant leadership change for the bipartisan agency, with all three remaining commissioners now departing from the board.
The report did not provide additional details regarding the administration’s reasoning for the dismissals or when replacements might be named.
The Election Assistance Commission continues to be responsible for supporting election administration efforts nationwide through its training programs, voter registration resources, and voting system certification process, though the reported departures leave the agency without its remaining commissioners.
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