The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has operated in relative anonymity since, but is now central to President Donald Trump’sexecutive order seeking to overhaul elections. One of the commission’s boards will meet Thursday in North Carolina, the first commission-related meeting since the directives were announced.

Among other things, Trump directed the agency to update the national voter registration form to add a proof of citizenship requirement. But whether the president can order an independent agency to act and whether the commission has the authority to do what Trump wants will likely be settled in court.

“It’s practically impossible to demand that commissioners of the EAC create wholly new voting system guidelines based on highly questionable criteria within 180 days,” said David Becker, a former Justice Department lawyer who leads the Center for Election Innovation & Research. “It raises the question as to whether this was designed to create chaos since it cannot be practically and competently completed.”

  • Skvlp@lemm.ee
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    6 days ago

    The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has operated in relative anonymity since, but is now central to President Donald Trump’sexecutive order seeking to overhaul elections.

    I don’t want to know about his sexecutive orders ☹️

  • MagicShel@lemmy.zip
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    6 days ago

    Trump’s play here will be to issue an order as late in the election cycle as possible while still accomplishing his aims and moving as quickly as possible. The changes they make will involve severe staff reductions and election infrastructure destruction that cannot quickly be undone.

    The aim will be that legal challenges will take long enough that the changes can’t be undone for the current election cycle. The courts will bristle and wring their hands, but ultimately conclude that changing the election rules in the middle of an election is tantamount to interference and any rulings won’t take effect until the next election cycle (see for example court cases about gerrymandering).

    • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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      6 days ago

      And all of our dipshit legacy media outlets will be “shocked” by this development, as if they haven’t had it in their publicly available playbook for five fucking years