House committee votes to eliminate independent election commission

Associated Press
Tuesday 7 February 2017 22.05 GMT

A Republican-led House committee voted on Tuesday to eliminate an independent election commission charged with helping states improve their voting systems as Donald Trump erroneously claims widespread voter fraud cost him the popular vote.

The party-line vote came less than two days after the US president vowed to set up a White House commission helmed by the vice-president, Mike Pence, to pursue his accusations of election fraud.

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The vote in the House administration committee underscored, once again, the political differences between the Republican president and the party’s rank-and-file. The GOP majority on the committee eliminated the Election Assistance Commission, which was created by Congress after the 2000 Florida recount to upgrade voting technology and provide election-related information to federal entities, state officials and election administrators.

Republicans, who lead the effort to terminate the agency, say it is a prime example of government waste. They have been introducing legislation to end the commission for years with little success.

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