President Donald Trump has removed the last remaining members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, leaving the bipartisan agency without any commissioners just months before Americans head to the polls for the 2026 midterm elections.
The move comes on the heels of a recent Supreme Court ruling that expanded presidential authority to remove officials from certain independent federal agencies.
According to multiple reports, Republican Commissioner Thomas Hicks resigned while Democratic Commissioners Christy McCormick and Benjamin Hovland were dismissed by the White House. Their departures leave all four seats on the commission vacant until Trump nominates replacements and the Senate confirms them.
The EAC doesn’t conduct elections itself. Instead, it helps state and local officials by certifying voting equipment, accrediting testing laboratories, maintaining the federal voter registration form, and administering election guidance and federal grants.
The White House defended the decision, saying the president wants election oversight aligned with his administration’s priorities.
“The president is committed to securing America’s elections and ensuring that Americans can have full confidence in the integrity of every vote cast,” a White House official said.
Per Mediaite:
Any new commissioners must be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The commission cannot have more than two members of the same party.
The ousters came the week after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 91-year-old case that had limited the president’s ability to remove members of independent federal boards.
Trump has urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote and present photo identification when voting.
The move quickly sparked criticism from Democrats. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes warned it could disrupt election administration, while Virginia Sen. Mark Warner questioned why the administration would leave the agency without leadership so close to the midterms.
For now, the commission remains leaderless. Although Trump has the authority to nominate new members, it is unclear whether replacements will be confirmed before November’s elections.
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