TRUMP OFFICIALS SOUGHT WAYS TO BYPASS ELECTION AGENCY BEFORE FIRINGS

Trump administration officials sought ways to bypass the U.S. Election Assistance Commission before President Donald Trump removed the agency's top officials, according to Reuters. The discussions included possible emergency routes for changing voting-system rules without waiting for the commission's normal process.

Reuters reported that officials were frustrated with the commission's pace on updating voting-machine guidelines and on administration priorities including proof-of-citizenship requirements for mail-in voter registration. The Election Assistance Commission is the federal agency that helps states with election administration, including voting-system certification and guidance.

One option considered by administration officials was declaring a national emergency to force changes without congressional approval, according to Reuters. The proposal was not carried out, but the reporting shows the administration was exploring ways to move around the agency before Trump dismissed its Democratic commissioners and accepted the resignation of its lone Republican member.

The firings left the Election Assistance Commission without a quorum. Reuters reported that the agency can still perform some operational tasks, including distributing federal grants, but it cannot approve new policies or voting-system procedures without enough commissioners to act.

The administration defended the removals by pointing to presidential authority over independent agencies after a recent Supreme Court ruling, according to Reuters. Democrats and civil-rights groups have condemned the move as an attempt to assert federal control over state-run elections before the midterms.

The dispute is part of a wider administration effort to reshape election rules. Reuters reported separately that the Department of Homeland Security is tying access to part of FEMA's $1.1 billion homeland-security grant programs to new election-security conditions, including citizenship verification through a federal database, hand-marked paper ballots, manual audits of at least 5% of ballots and reconciliation of voter participation with ballots cast.

The Guardian reported that the Justice Department also sent letters to election officials in all 50 states warning of possible criminal charges if they do not provide voter-registration lists. That demand has raised privacy and federalism objections from state officials and voting-rights advocates.

The immediate questions are whether courts accept the administration's view of presidential power over the commission, whether states challenge the new grant conditions, and whether the Election Assistance Commission can regain a quorum before the midterm cycle. Until then, the federal agency responsible for election guidance remains unable to set new policy.

Fact-check date: 11 July 2026
Article type: News
Sources: Reuters, The Guardian