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, Politico reported.
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.
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.