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Ahead of the anticipated midterm elections that are set to take place later this year, US President Donald Trump has dismissed the leadership of the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the independent agency responsible for providing funding and election security guidance to state election officials, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the matter and an email reviewed by the network.
According to CNN, at least one EAC commissioner received an email from a White House official stating, "On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service." The move has prompted concern among election officials and voting rights advocates, particularly as the EAC remains one of the few federal agencies responsible for supporting election security after significant reductions to the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), CNN reported. Established by Congress in 2002 as a bipartisan body, the EAC certifies voting systems and administers federal funding for elections. According to CNN, the agency has also sought to support election officials who have faced threats linked to election-related conspiracy theories. Reacting to the dismissals, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes criticised the administration's decision. "It is irresponsible and dangerous that this administration remains dead set on causing chaos for our election officials across this country. This move undermines the integrity of nonpartisan election administration," Fontes said in a statement, as quoted by CNN. Concerns over the future of the EAC had grown following a recent US Supreme Court ruling that expanded the President's authority to remove leaders of independent federal agencies. The report also recalled that the EAC was a central target of an executive order signed by Trump in 2025, directing the commission to require proof of citizenship for federal voter registration forms and encouraging states to adopt Election Day deadlines for mail-in ballots. Multiple federal courts blocked significant portions of the executive order, ruling that Trump did not have unilateral authority to direct the commission to alter federal voter registration requirements. A former EAC official, speaking to CNN, said the latest dismissals reflected long-standing concerns about the agency's future. "The EAC has been a dead man walking since the Slaughter decision--really since the executive order last year. Today's firings make this even more clear. Congress would have never created a federal agency with the EAC's mandate that wasn't independent and insulated from White House direction. RIP EAC," the former official told CNN. The dismissals come as debates over election administration and federal oversight continue ahead of the upcoming US midterm elections. (ANI)
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