President Donald Trump has removed the remaining three members of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), an independent federal agency that supports election administration officials nationwide.
The final trio of commissioners from the four-member bipartisan commission was dismissed from their positions on Thursday. The Republican appointee, Christy McCormick, was allowed to resign, while the two Democratic appointees, Chair Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, were let go via an email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office.
The fourth commissioner had already exited the commission in April.
White House confirmed to Reuters that the President has the authority to remove officials who are not fully aligned with protecting election integrity and ensuring every legal vote is counted, citing a Supreme Court ruling as support.
Notably, any nominees to fill the EAC’s four vacant seats must be confirmed by the Senate, and federal law limits the commission to no more than two members from the same political party.
EAC Left Leaderless Before Midterms
This move follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that allows Trump to dismiss leaders of independent agencies or commissions, except the Federal Reserve, overturning a 90-year-old court precedent that limited executive power. The decision was focused on Trump’s March 2025 dismissal of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) member Rebecca Slaughter.
This leaves the EAC without leadership ahead of the midterms. While the agency does not run elections, it supports state officials by certifying voting machines, managing the national mail voter registration form, providing training, and distributing election security grants.
White House also told Reuters that the Trump administration is working with federal agencies and local partners to protect elections from fraud and strengthen election infrastructure ahead of the midterm elections.
This development also comes amid Trump’s repeated calls for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act as a priority to reduce voting fraud ahead of the November elections.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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