THE United States’ (US) seat of government, the White House, spent months looking for ways to bypass a federal election agency and use emergency powers to force changes to ​voting machines, before President Donald Trump ousted its leaders on Thursday, July 9, four people familiar with the matter said.

    Some officials were frustrated with what they saw as the Election Assistance ‌Commission’s slowness in updating guidelines for states on voting machines, the sources said, while some also wanted it to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement to its national mail voter registration form and address other election-related priorities of the administration.

    Democratic lawmakers criticised the firings as an attempt to increase its control over US elections, which are the purview of the states, and as undermining election integrity ahead of November’s midterm elections, when control of Congress will be at stake.

    Trump fired the bipartisan federal agency’s two Democratic commissioners and allowed its lone Republican commissioner to resign, Reuters reported on Thursday.

    The agency’s fourth commissioner departed in April.

    It was not immediately clear why Trump decided to force the commissioners out at this time or if they will be replaced. The agency remains operational, but without a quorum, it cannot take up ⁠any new business, such as implementing changes to voting procedures or the national mail voter registration form.

    “The administration from the start has been working across all agencies and local partners to safeguard elections from fraud and abuse, and investing in a strong infrastructure to sustain that mission, especially in the midterm elections,” the White House said in a Friday, July 10, statement when asked about the discussions on sidestepping the commission.

    Trump and his allies have pressed Congress to adopt nationwide voting changes and argued that some voting systems require upgrades, as Trump continues to claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

    In a Thursday statement confirming the firings, the White House cited a Supreme Court decision in June that granted the President more power to fire members of independent agencies.

    “(The President) reserves the right to remove individuals that may not be totally aligned with the important task of securing America’s elections,” the statement said.