Let’s talk about an agency you’ve probably never heard of because until last week, that was sort of the point.

The Election Assistance Commission is the one federal agency that exists to help elections run smoothly — no politics, no agenda, just distributing election security funds, certifying voting machines, and giving state and local officials the tools to do their jobs.

And,Trump just fired all three of its remaining commissioners.

Two Democrats got the news by email, while the lone remaining Republican was allowed to “resign”. Either way, the EAC now has zero commissioners and no quorum, months before the midterms.

This isn’t an accident of timing. It comes right after the Supreme Court handed Trump new power to fire the heads of independent agencies — the same kind of bipartisan commissions that used to be walled off from the White House for exactly this reason.

Remember when Trump said Republicans should “nationalize the voting”? This is what that looks like in practice. Not a dramatic takeover — just quietly removing the people whose job is oversight, one commission at a time.

Here’s the thing: dismantling the guardrails only works if the rest of us look away. Midwest Values PAC is doing the work of electing Democrats who’ll actually defend free and fair elections — because when nobody’s left minding the store, it matters even more who’s running for office.

Please chip in today to help us keep fighting.

Al

P.S. The EAC was created after the 2000 election, when this country decided that election administration was too important to leave to chance or partisanship. 26 years later and it’s gone, all thanks to Trump. 

Midwest Values PAC supports candidates & causes that share our values.

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Somehow, it’s been 20 years since I started Midwest Values PAC to help Democrats win elections — from progressive organizations to state legislatures to Congress to the White House — who share the values I grew up with in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

Since 2006, Midwest Values PAC has invested more than $4 million in 341 candidates and organizations — and counting. 

Of course, none of this happens without you (or supporters like you) who care enough to pitch in.

As we mark our 20th anniversary, the work is more urgent than ever. This year, we have a big job: flip the House, take the Senate, and win up and down the ballot at the state and local level.

To mark our 20th year, we’ve set an ambitious goal: 26,000 contributions by Election Day 2026.

Thanks for being part of this fight, and for sticking with us for 20 years (or for just joining — welcome!).

Al

P.S. Over the years, okay, decades, we’ve helped Democrats win tough races all across the country by investing early, intelligently, and strategically. That’s how you flip seats. That’s how you protect democracy. And that’s how you stop the worst impulses of a president who never should have been president in the first place.