Trump Moves To Reshape Election Oversight
Documents and interviews show the Trump administration spent more than a year scrutinizing the bipartisan federal agency that certifies voting systems before removing its leadership, intensifying fears that the White House is positioning itself to influence November’s midterm elections.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission was created to provide neutral technical guidance to state and local election officials. Reuters reported that Trump officials repeatedly questioned its conclusion that the 2020 election was secure, explored ways to bypass its authority and examined potential replacements more closely aligned with the president’s election claims.
The scrutiny culminated in the firing of the commission’s Democratic members and the departure of its remaining Republican commissioner, leaving the agency without functioning leadership months before elections that could cost Republicans control of Congress. The moves follow Justice Department pressure on state election officials, proposed restrictions on mail voting and Trump’s renewed campaign to portray American elections as corrupt whenever his allies appear likely to lose.
