President Trump Removes All Remaining EAC Commissioners, Leaving Election Agency Without Leadership Ahead of Midterms

President Donald Trump has removed the three remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), leaving the federal agency responsible for election administration guidance entirely without leadership just four months before the 2026 midterms.[1][2]

The unprecedented sweep occurred on July 9, when the White House notified the commission's two Democratic members, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, via email that their positions were terminated "effective immediately." The remaining Republican commissioner, Christy McCormick, was allowed to resign. The fourth seat on the bipartisan panel had already been vacant since April, when Republican Donald Palmer departed to join the Heritage Foundation.[2]

The administration framed the dismissals as a necessary step for national election security. In a statement confirming the moves, a White House official asserted that the president "reserves the right to remove individuals that may not be totally aligned with the important task of securing America's elections and ensuring every legal vote is counted."[1][3]

To justify the firings, the White House invoked the Supreme Court's recent ruling in Trump v. Slaughter. Handed down in late June, the landmark decision expanded presidential authority to dismiss the leaders of independent executive agencies at will, overturning decades of legal precedent that had insulated such boards from direct Oval Office control.[1][2][4]

Created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 following the contested Bush-Gore election, the EAC is the only federal agency exclusively dedicated to election administration. It is responsible for establishing Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG), certifying the voting machines used across the country, distributing federal election security grants, and maintaining the national voter registration form.[1][4][6]

By law, the EAC requires a quorum of at least three commissioners to conduct official business, approve new policies, or update voting system standards. With zero sitting commissioners, the agency's policy-making apparatus is entirely frozen, rendering it unable to issue new guidance as states finalize their preparations for November.[2][6]

Despite the leadership vacuum, the EAC will not shut down completely. Routine operations, including the distribution of previously allocated grants and the ongoing technical testing of election equipment, will continue under the authority of the agency's executive director and career staff. Furthermore, state and local officials—who bear the actual constitutional responsibility for running elections—will proceed with their midterm preparations uninterrupted.[3][5]

The dismissals triggered immediate outrage from congressional Democrats and voting rights organizations. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned the move as a "brazen attempt to seize control of our elections," while Senator Mark Warner called it an "extraordinary step" that raises profound concerns about political interference in democratic institutions.[1]

The firings arrive amid a broader administration push to reshape federal voting rules. Earlier in the year, Trump issued an executive order directing the EAC to add proof-of-citizenship requirements to the federal voter registration form—a move that faced resistance from the commission and was subsequently challenged in court. The Justice Department has also recently pressured states to aggressively purge suspected noncitizens from their voter rolls.[5]

Election law experts note that the application of the Slaughter decision to the EAC remains legally untested. While the Supreme Court allowed the president to fire the head of the Federal Trade Commission, it is an open question whether that power extends to commissions explicitly designed by Congress to maintain a strict bipartisan balance.[2][4]

It remains unclear whether Hicks or Hovland will file lawsuits to challenge their terminations and force a judicial test of the president's removal powers. Furthermore, the administration has not indicated whether it intends to nominate new commissioners—a process that requires Senate confirmation—or if it will leave the agency vacant through the November elections.[2]