President Trump fired the three remaining commissioners of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on July 9-10, 2026, leaving the federal agency unable to function as the midterm elections approach. The two Democratic commissioners, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, were notified by email that their positions were terminated effective immediately, while Republican Christy McCormick resigned under pressure.
The EAC, established by Congress after the disputed 2000 presidential election, is the only federal agency devoted solely to election administration. It distributes federal election funds, maintains the national voter registration form, tests and certifies voting systems, and offers guidance to state and local election officials. With all four commissioner positions now vacant, the agency cannot take official action until the Senate confirms new members.
The White House justified the firings by citing the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Trump v. Slaughter, which overturned decades of precedent and allowed the president to fire leaders of independent agencies at will. “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,” a White House official said. “The Slaughter decision gives the President precedence to do so.”
The firings come as part of a broader administration push to reshape federal election oversight. Trump has pursued multiple strategies to gain control over elections, including issuing executive orders restricting mail-in voting, pressing states to surrender voter registration databases, launching federal investigations into Democratic election offices, and seeking to require proof of citizenship to vote. Courts have blocked key provisions of these efforts, with judges ruling that Trump lacks the legal authority to compile a national citizen or voter list.
Former White House attorney Ty Cobb warned that the EAC firings represent a “deliberate plan” to influence the midterms. “You can’t look at the termination of the Election Assistance Commission as anything other than another effort by one side to try to take over part of the referee role for the elections,” Cobb said. He added that Trump is “stacking every card in the deck” ahead of the elections, noting that while federal courts have resisted Trump’s election-related lawsuits, the president’s efforts to install loyalists throughout the federal government pose ongoing risks.
Senate Democrats condemned the move. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the firings “a brazen attempt to seize control of our elections before a single vote is cast.” Democratic strategist David Axelrod posted on social media that “all the signals are flashing red” following the dismissals. Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, demanded an explanation, saying the removal of every remaining commissioner “just months before the 2026 midterm elections is an extraordinary step that demands an immediate explanation from the administration.”
The EAC has been politically contested since its creation. Congress designed it as a bipartisan commission with no more than two members from the same party, but vacancies and leadership turmoil have repeatedly limited its ability to act. Hicks had served on the commission since 2014 and previously worked for Democrats on the House Administration Committee. Hovland joined in 2019 after being unanimously confirmed by the Senate and had served as acting chief counsel to the Senate Rules Committee. McCormick had served since 2014 and previously worked as a senior trial attorney in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Whether the president’s removal of EAC commissioners will survive legal challenge remains uncertain. The Supreme Court’s Slaughter decision left unresolved whether it applies to bipartisan election agencies structured around political balance. Rick Hasen, an election law professor at UCLA, noted that “it’s an open question about the EAC and the Federal Election Commission.” If any fired commissioner sues, the case could become the first direct test of whether the Supreme Court’s removal-power doctrine extends to federal election agencies.
The immediate practical effect is clear: the EAC cannot act. That could stall routine commission business and any attempt by the Trump administration to alter federal voter registration forms or voting-system standards before the midterms. The agency oversees the federal testing and certification program for voting systems, which many states rely on before allowing voting equipment to be purchased or used. The EAC has been frozen before—for years, vacancies rendered it unable to perform major work, contributing to long delays in updating voting-system guidance. The agency regained stability only after the Senate confirmed new commissioners in 2019.
Sources
- USA Today — Trump’s moves to tighten federal control of elections, broader election strategy context, and expert analysis on election security.
- PBS NewsHour — Details on who was fired, EAC functions, state election officials’ concerns, and expert commentary on election administration.
- Votebeat — Specific names and dates of commissioners fired, Supreme Court Slaughter decision legal basis, and background on EAC creation and function.
- The Hill — Ty Cobb’s warnings about election interference, broader Trump efforts to control elections, and Democratic responses.
