Trump Looked to Bypass Federal Election Agency, Report Says

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The White House explored options for bypassing a bipartisan federal election agency and using emergency powers to push changes to voting systems before US President Donald Trump removed the agency's leadership this week, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Among the issues that irked the Trump administration about the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) were:

• A delay in updating guidelines for states on voting machines

• The refusal of a proof-of-citizenship requirement on its national mail voter registration form

• Failure to address the administration's election-related priorities 

On Thursday, Trump dismissed the two Democratic members of the EAC; its remaining Republican commissioner resigned. A fourth commissioner had stepped down in April.

This leaves the agency operational but without a quorum and unable to approve new business or changes to election procedures.

The White House said on Friday the administration had been working to "safeguard elections from fraud and abuse" ahead of November's midterm elections.

Experts say the move is unlikely to impact the midterms but comes right after the Supreme Court ruled recently that the president can fire members of independent agency boards without cause.

Trump Repeatedly Seeks Nationwide Changes to Voting Rules

According to Reuters, White House officials last year reviewed a proposal from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to declare a national emergency and establish a federal task force to address alleged vulnerabilities in voting systems without involving the EAC.

The proposal was never implemented.

The report also said that officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the White House met with the commission's leaders to discuss their concerns, including widely debunked claims of fraud during the 2020 election that Trump lost.

Trump, who continues to falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen from him, has repeatedly sought nationwide changes to voting rules despite the US Constitution granting states primary authority over elections.

Democrats Decry Move Against Election Commission

Democrats condemned the move as an attempt to increase White House influence over elections.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described the firings as a "brazen attempt to seize control of our elections before a single vote is cast in the midterms."

Created in 2002 under President George W. Bush, the EAC:

• Distributes federal grants to states,

• Oversees the testing of voting systems and

• Maintains the national voter registration form

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