President Donald Trump terminated the three remaining commissioners of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on Thursday, an action that leaves the bipartisan agency without leadership just months before the midterm elections. The move drew swift condemnation from Democratic lawmakers and voting rights advocates, who warned of the potential for significant disruption to national election administration.
White House Cites Supreme Court Precedent for Removals
The administration confirmed the dismissals through a statement provided to the White House. A White House official defended the action by invoking the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Slaughter case, which granted the president a freer hand to remove members of independent federal agencies. The 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 Slaughter decision gives the President precedence to do so.”
According to reports, the terminations were carried out in varying ways. The two Democratic commissioners, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, were notified of their termination via an email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office. The email stated, “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service.” The lone Republican commissioner, Christy McCormick, resigned her position. A Republican, Don Palmer, had already departed earlier in the year. All three commissioners had previously been confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate.
Impact on Federal Election Infrastructure
The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). The agency serves as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration, accredits testing laboratories, certifies voting systems, and maintains the national mail-voter registration form developed by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. By removing the commissioners, the administration has effectively left the agency without leadership and unable to carry out its major responsibilities, which include developing guidelines for state and local election administration.
Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice, described the move as a significant blow to bipartisan governance. “Congress deliberately structured the Election Assistance Commission as a bipartisan agency to help states administer free, fair, and secure elections,” Waldman said. “These removals leave the agency without leadership and unable to carry out its major responsibilities.”
Political and Legal Fallout
The dismissals follow a series of efforts by the administration to influence elections. In 2025, President Trump issued an executive order that called on the EAC to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form it maintains. Judges have since blocked the main provisions of that order, ruling that they exceed a president’s constitutional authority.
Democratic leaders, including California U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and New York U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle, the ranking Democrats on committees with jurisdiction over elections, blasted the removals. “President Trump is trying to dismantle yet another independent guardrail of our democracy designed to keep elections fair and secure,” they stated. They further characterized the purge as a “blatant part of his plan to politicize our elections and enable more unlawful and dangerous election interference.” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes echoed these concerns in a statement, saying, It is irresponsible and dangerous that this Administration remains dead set on causing chaos for our election officials across this country. This move undermines the integrity of nonpartisan election administration.
Uncertainty Surrounding Future Commission Operations
While HAVA specifies that no more than two commissioners may belong to the same political party and grants the president the power to appoint replacements, the administration has not yet detailed its plan for the agency’s future. Matt Weil, vice president of governance at the Bipartisan Policy Center, noted that the EAC has operated without a quorum for much of its existence. However, he called the dismissals “unprecedented” and “a significant loss for one of the federal government’s few institutions explicitly designed around bipartisan governance.” A spokesperson for the EAC did not respond to a request for comment.
