Trump Fires All 3 Election Assistance Commission Members Before Midterms

President Trump fired all three remaining members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on Thursday, July 9, leaving the bipartisan federal agency without leadership months before the midterm elections. Two Democratic commissioners were terminated by email from the White House, while the Republican commissioner resigned. The move comes days after the Supreme Court expanded presidential power to remove independent agency leaders.

What the Election Assistance Commission does

The Election Assistance Commission serves as a national clearinghouse for election administration information and certifies voting systems used across the country. From 2018 to 2025, it distributed over $1 billion in federal grants for election security to states and localities. The agency also maintains the national mail voter registration form and accredits testing laboratories that verify voting equipment.

How the firings unfolded

Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, the two Democratic commissioners, received termination emails from Morgan DeWitt Snow, deputy director of presidential personnel, stating their positions were terminated effective immediately. Republican commissioner Christy McCormick was asked to resign by phone. A fourth Republican commissioner, Donald Palmer, had already departed in April to join the Heritage Foundation. All three terminated commissioners had been unanimously confirmed by the Senate.

Why this matters for election officials

With no commissioners in place, the agency cannot take official action until replacements are confirmed by the Senate, a process that typically takes months. Benjamin Hovland told NBC News that removing federal support forces state and local election officials to do more with fewer resources, raising the risk of errors. The agency has acted as a clearinghouse sharing best practices between states, helping them manage limited budgets during elections.

The legal backdrop and what comes next

The firings follow a late June Supreme Court decision in the Slaughter case that gave presidents broader authority to remove members of independent federal agencies. Trump issued a 2025 executive order directing the EAC to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form, though judges blocked that order’s main provisions. It remains unclear how Trump will move forward with appointing replacements to the four-member commission, which requires Senate confirmation.

Final Thoughts

Trump’s removal of all three Election Assistance Commission members disables the only federal agency devoted solely to election administration just as midterm voting approaches. State election officials now face the 2026 midterms without federal support for certification, grants, and best practices.

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