Trump Ousts Members Of Bipartisan Election Commission Ahead Of Midterms

President Donald Trump has ousted the remaining commissioners from a bipartisan federal agency charged with helping state and local officials conduct elections in an apparent move to assert control over voting ahead of the midterms.

The president removed the two Democratic members of the Election Assistance Commission on Thursday while a Republican was allowed to resign, according to a White House official and three other people familiar with the dismissals.

The White House’s move leaves the commission, which was created by Congress in 2002, without any leaders heading into the midterms.

The EAC, which is headquartered in Washington, does not handle ballots or voter rolls, generally does not communicate with voters and has no authority over election officials in the states. But it has worked to improve balloting across the country.

It serves as a clearinghouse for election officials, helping to train them and provide information about the latest voting technology. It also manages the national mail voter registration form — which Trump sought to change via executive order last year — and oversees a voluntary testing and certification program for various voting machines. The EAC also distributes election security grants.

The two Democratic commissioners — Chair Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland — were fired from their roles, according to the three of the people familiar with the dismissals, who were granted anonymity to discuss the news. Republican commissioner Christy McCormick was allowed to resign.

VoteBeat first reported the dismissals. Hicks declined to comment, and McCormick and Hovland did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The White House official defended the move when asked about it.

“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,” said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss what the White House sees as an internal matter.

The EAC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump issued an executive order in March of 2025 demanding the EAC change the national voter registration form to require proof of citizenship, which was blocked by a federal judge. He also sought to block the EAC from distributing funds to states that did not adjust voter forms to have a citizenship check, which was similarly blocked in court.

The removals came days after the Supreme Court ruled that presidents have broad discretion over leadership in the federal bureaucracy, expanding the president’s ability to fire the heads at nearly every agency except the Federal Reserve. One person familiar with the shakeup said they anticipated imminent changes at the EAC once the court made its decision.

The White House official explicitly referenced that recent decision in explaining the firings, saying it “gives the President precedence to do so.”

Election officials across the country expressed various degrees of confusion and alarm at the EAC commissioners’ removals.

The EAC has existed without a quorum of commissioners at several points since it was created. But several Democratic election officials expressed concern about the removals, saying they were part of a pattern of the Trump administration trying to dictate the terms of elections and bully election officials into compliance.

“It is irresponsible and dangerous that this Administration remains dead set on causing chaos for our election officials across this country,” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said in a statement. “This move undermines the integrity of nonpartisan election administration.”

And the top Democrats on the congressional committees that have jurisdiction over the EAC also condemned the firings. “Purging commissioners just months before the midterm elections and further gutting support for our state and local elections officials is a blatant part of his plan to politicize our elections and enable more unlawful and dangerous election interference,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Senate Rules Committee, and Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y), ranking member of the House Administration Committee, said in the statement.

One person familiar with the removals said the commissioners had been briefing state and local election officials on how to defend against cyberattacks on elections systems from foreign actors. It’s unclear if those briefings will continue, the person said.

Replacements for the four empty commissioner seats must be confirmed by the Senate. By law, no more than two commissioners can come from the same political party.

“Election officials will still be able to administer secure, accessible, and trustworthy elections this November. But they will do so without the full level of support that the EAC normally provides,” Matt Weil, the vice president for governance at Bipartisan Policy Center, said in a statement.

Cheyenne Haslett contributed to this report.