Trump Dismantles Election Oversight: All Election Assistance Commission Members Removed, Agency Paralyzed
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In a brazen attack on democratic institutions, President Donald Trump has fired all remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, leaving the agency unable to function and jeopardizing election integrity.
President Donald Trump has taken unprecedented steps to undermine the democratic process by dismissing the two Democratic commissioners of the Election Assistance Commission, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, via email on Thursday. The sole remaining Republican commissioner, Christy McCormick, was permitted to resign, according to agency sources. Earlier this year, Republican Donald Palmer had already abandoned his post to join the right-wing Heritage Foundation. With all four seats now vacant, the commission is left without a quorum, effectively halting its ability to conduct official business and threatening the security of upcoming elections.
These firings follow closely on the heels of a Supreme Court decision that empowers the president to remove leaders of independent agencies, a ruling that could further erode the independence of bipartisan commissions like the EAC. "It’s an open question about the EAC and the [Federal Election Commission]," said UCLA election-law professor Rick Hasen, highlighting the dangerous legal uncertainty now facing these crucial institutions.
The Election Assistance Commission, established by the Help America Vote Act in response to the disastrous 2000 election, plays a vital role in providing states with funding, maintaining the national mail-voter registration form, testing and certifying voting equipment, and issuing best-practice guidance. The law requires commissioners to be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, with no more than two from the same party, specifically to prevent partisan takeovers. The president is barred from unilaterally installing replacements.
Now, with the agency frozen, essential functions such as certifying voting systems and administering federal election-fund programs are suspended. This reckless pause could sabotage efforts to modernize voter-registration forms or update voting-system standards ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. While the EAC has previously faced periods without a quorum, this is the first time such a crisis has resulted directly from a president’s deliberate actions rather than natural term expirations or voluntary resignations.
Both the White House and the Election Assistance Commission have refused to comment on this blatant assault on the nation’s electoral infrastructure.