Trump Fires Every Election Referee, 116 Days Before the Midterms
Termination emails hit the last three commissioners Thursday afternoon. The agency that funds elections and certifies voting machines now has zero members.
Trump fired the final three commissioners of the US Election Assistance Commission Thursday afternoon, leaving the bipartisan federal agency that certifies America's voting systems with no members, no quorum, and no legal ability to act — 116 days before the midterm elections.
Democratic commissioners Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland received emails from Morgan DeWitt Snow, deputy director of presidential personnel: "your position as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately." Republican Christy McCormick was allowed to resign. The fourth seat was already empty — Republican Donald Palmer left earlier this year for the Heritage Foundation. The White House confirmed the terminations to Reuters and offered no justification.
Congress built the EAC after the 2000 Florida recount to do the unglamorous work states depend on: distribute federal election funds, maintain the national mail voter registration form, test and certify voting machines, and advise the local officials who actually run American elections. Hicks and McCormick had served since 2014, Hovland since 2019.
The firings did not arrive alone. On Monday, Trump's Justice Department sent letters threatening state election officials with criminal charges over noncitizens on their voter rolls. On Thursday, Trump removed the commissioners of the one federal agency chartered to assist those same officials.
