Trump Purges Democratic Members from Election Assistance Commission, Threatening Election Integrity
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President Donald Trump has ousted the two remaining Democratic commissioners from the Election Assistance Commission, exploiting a Supreme Court decision to consolidate partisan control over the agency responsible for safeguarding U.S. elections.
In a brazen move on Friday, President Donald Trump removed the two Democratic members of the Election Assistance Commission, a bipartisan agency tasked with distributing federal election grants and overseeing the testing of voting systems. The White House justified this power grab by citing a Supreme Court ruling that hands the president unchecked authority to dismiss officials from independent agencies.
The commissioners targeted by this purge were Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, both Democrats dedicated to protecting fair elections. Republican member Christy McCormick had already resigned, and former Republican commissioner Donald Palmer departed earlier this year. The White House offered no explanation for the removals, leaving the future of the commission uncertain and raising fears about whether Trump will even bother to nominate replacements.
"The President, and head of the Executive Branch, 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," the White House claimed, using the language of 'election security' as a smokescreen for partisan interference.
Democratic lawmakers immediately condemned the move, warning that it undermines the independent safeguards designed to protect the integrity of American elections. Senator Alex Padilla and Representative Joe Morelle denounced the dismissals as a blatant politicization of the voting process, further eroding public trust in democracy.
Legal experts highlighted that the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision in the Slaughter case dangerously expands presidential power over independent agency boards—a precedent that could face legal challenges from the ousted commissioners.
The Election Assistance Commission, established by the 2002 Help America Vote Act, is supposed to maintain a balance of two Democrats and two Republicans. With these vacancies, the agency’s ability to distribute grants and certify voting systems is now in jeopardy, especially with the critical November midterm elections approaching.