Months before the midterms, the only federal agency dedicated solely to election administration is now unable to do anything.

Trump fired all three remaining members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on Thursday, abruptly disabling the only federal agency devoted solely to election administration at a moment when Trump has sought to reshape federal voting rules.

The two Democratic commissioners, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, were notified by email. “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 email said. It was signed by Morgan DeWitt Snow, deputy director of presidential personnel in the Executive Office of the President.

The third commissioner, Republican Christy McCormick, was allowed to resign, according to three sources within the agency. McCormick declined to comment when reached by phone. The agency’s fourth commissioner, Republican Donald Palmer, voluntarily departed the agency earlier this year to join the Heritage Foundation.

    • redsand@infosec.pub
      94·
      4 days ago

      Just a reminder billionaires and private equity bought the voting machine companies like Dominion. All of them.

      • SeeMarkFly@lemmy.mlEnglish
        31·
        3 days ago

        “People turned their voting over to voting machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only let other men with voting machine keys enslave them.”

        -SeeMarkFly-

    • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
      18·
      3 days ago

      It’s okay, the states do that part. I don’t know what exactly a federal election commissioner does, but the states still run their own elections.

      Terminating them is still blatantly corrupt and alarming, and no one should be okay with it, but this isn’t a deathblow to the democratic process. Still cast your votes in November.

      • dreamkeeper@literature.cafe
        1·
        2 days ago

        They control federal money that’s used to fund some election-related activities. It’s not the biggest deal in practical terms. As I understand it is not a huge amount of money.

        I just hope we get a mean president next time. We can’t afford another corpo Dem like Biden who plays nice with rethuglicans. Fire all of Trump’s appointments day one and test that scotus ruling. Let’s see how they like the unitary executive when we use it against them in every way possible.

        No more GOP AGs and FBI directors. I can’t believe Dems actually respected the fake “tradition” of only having conservative FBI directors. Fuck that shit. I want someone who goes after these fascist FBI agents targeting Trump’s political opponents and makes their lives a living hell.

        Make those fucks quit or just fire them and replace them with people who actually respect the law.

        • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
          1·
          2 days ago

          Yeah, agreed. We need someone who will use the fullness of the corruption precedent the GOP has set against them instead of pretending the precedent isn’t already set. No more playing by different rulebooks.

          It’s a sad thing for the democratic processes, but that’s already out the window and it was the GOP who tossed it. Pretending the moral high ground will save us is not enough to pull us out of this death spiral.

          The gloves need to come off and we need a hardcore demagafication period. Only then can we reform the system to patch these holes that have been blown in the democratic order.

    • SeeMarkFly@lemmy.mlEnglish
      32·
      4 days ago

      They can count???

      They don’t count as politicians because they don’t count the voters. They are something else.