Trump Removes Remaining Bipartisan Election Commission Members Ahead of Midterms
7 verified2 unconfirmed
President Donald Trump has removed the three remaining members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), a bipartisan agency created in 2002 to help administer federal elections. The dismissals, which occurred with months until the midterm elections, leave the commission without the quorum needed to carry out its responsibilities. A White House official stated 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.” The moves follow a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Slaughter case that gave presidents broader authority to remove members of independent federal agencies. Democratic lawmakers and voting rights advocates criticized the actions as an effort to politicize elections, while the Bipartisan Policy Center called the departures unprecedented and a significant loss for bipartisan governance. The commission had already faced chronic vacancies and partisan infighting, and it had not yet voted on Trump’s 2025 executive order directing it to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form.
What’s verified
Trump fired Democratic commissioners Benjamin Hovland and Thomas Hicks; Republican commissioner Christy McCormick resigned.
All three commissioners had been unanimously confirmed by the Senate.
The EAC was created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and is structured to have no more than two members from the same political party.
Trump’s actions drew criticism from Democrats and voting rights advocates, who described them as an attempt to interfere in elections.
The White House cited the Supreme Court’s Slaughter decision, which expanded presidential authority to remove members of independent agencies.
A 2025 executive order from Trump directed the EAC to require proof of citizenship on the federal voter registration form; courts have blocked its main provisions.
The Bipartisan Policy Center described the departures as “unprecedented” and “a significant loss for one of the federal government’s few institutions explicitly designed around bipartisan governance.”
Not yet confirmed
Whether Trump will nominate replacements for the removed commissioners and how quickly the Senate might confirm them.
The specific wording of the White House statement regarding the exact actions taken; one source reported that the official “wouldn’t confirm the specific actions taken” while another reported the statement as confirming the removals.
Key figures
President Donald Trump
Benjamin Hovland (former Democratic EAC commissioner)
Thomas Hicks (former Democratic EAC commissioner)
Christy McCormick (former Republican EAC commissioner)
Don Palmer (former Republican EAC commissioner, resigned in April)
Cisco Aguilar (Nevada secretary of state)
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.)
Michael Waldman (Brennan Center for Justice)
Matt Weil (Bipartisan Policy Center)
Sources: NPR, propublica.org
