President Donald Trump fired the two Democratic commissioners of the Election Assistance Commission, a bipartisan federal agency responsible for setting guidelines for states on voting machine systems. The move has been criticized by Democratic lawmakers as an attempt to increase control over U.S. elections.
Election Integrity Concerns
Some Trump officials had expressed frustration with the agency’s slowness in updating guidelines for states on voting machines and had discussed using emergency powers to force changes to voting systems. The agency’s leaders had been working on finalizing a probe of voting machines seized from Puerto Rico, which found flaws that could exist elsewhere.
The White House cited a Supreme Court decision granting the president more power to fire members of independent agencies. Trump and his allies have pressed Congress to adopt nationwide voting changes, arguing that some voting systems require upgrades.
Reaction from Lawmakers
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the dismissals a “brazen attempt to seize control of our elections” before the midterm elections. The agency remains operational but cannot take up new business without a quorum.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
