This story appeared in The Logoffa daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news rule your life. Register here.
Welcome to The Logoff: President Donald Trump has abolished the Federal Election Commission.
What is happening? This is not the case of The Federal Election Commission is being eliminated, but the Election Assistance Commission, a bipartisan agency designed to make elections run more smoothly. The four-member commission was already down to three members before yesterday; then, Trump removed two of his Democratic members while the remaining Republican member resigned.
What does the EAC do? In the EAC’s own words, its goal is to “help election officials improve election management and help Americans participate in the voting process.” Generally, that means things like approving voting systems, providing information to state election administrators, and providing election security grants.
Just as Security explainsThe EAC can still pursue many of its functions without Senate-approved commissioners — but it cannot adopt new policies or update existing ones to respond to new needs.
What is the context? The dissolution of the EAC leadership is a direct result of the recent decision of the Supreme Court Trump against slaughterwhere it ruled that the president has the power to remove appointees to seemingly independent federal agencies at will (a major exception in the form of the Federal Reserve).
As my colleagues Zack Beauchamp and Ian Millhiser wrote at the time, the decision was a Trump’s power boost causing a serious threat to government politics.
what is the main picture? US elections are administered at the state level, which limits how much Trump can intervene before the midterms (especially with Congress denying his requests to pass SAVE America Actwhich may create new restrictions on voting IDs). Removing the EAC leadership won’t cause an immediate crisis – but it does remove one more support for an already ailing state election staff. fatigue, threats and abuse.
And so, it’s time to leave…
Hello readers, a quick message from me before we leave today: I’m going to be off for the next two weeks on vacation, leaving Logoff in the hands of my Vox colleagues. I hope you enjoy the change of pace, and I’ll see you on July 27th.
Now, before I go: A fun just-trust-me link from journalist Hamilton Nolan about explore the unknown.
Furthermore, the matter of the World Cup: Norway and England will play tomorrow for a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup. Here is a little bit of read before the match about Erling Haaland, Norway’s star striker.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!
