What’s Happening

1. The President removed the three remaining members of the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC), hampering, but not completely dismantling, the functions of the Commission. The two Democratic members were fired via email. The one remaining Republican member was allowed to resign. 

Facts on the EAC

• What is the Election Assistance Commission?
• The EAC works in partnership with state and local election officials to modernize and improve elections. The EAC is a bipartisan, independent committee established by the Help America Vote Act in 2002. It operates with two Republican and two Democratic commissioners, an executive director, and career staff. 
• What the EAC workers will still be able to do:
• Disburse existing funds, certify and decertify voting systems, maintain best practices, issue guidance, and run the National Voter Registration form. 
• What the EAC workers will not be able to do:
• Process voting system decertification, or establish new programs, policies, or guidelines (including the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines).

• This should not impact Michigan voters in either the August 4 Primary Election or the November 3 General Election. 
• Michigan’s local election workers run our elections. Not the President or his administration. 
• Michigan’s election officials and election workers will continue to work hard to execute each step of the checks and balances in our election system to ensure that every eligible voter can cast a ballot and that every vote is counted. 

• This is the latest in a long line of attempts by the Trump Administration to undermine and interfere with elections across the country in order to influence who can vote, and who wins and loses. 
• Without a fully functioning EAC, there will be no updated national standard outlining the security and functionality of voting machines, including technical and cybersecurity updates.