President Donald Trump has removed the Democratic members of the bipartisan federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the independent agency that helps states administer elections, in his latest effort to reshape the nation’s voting system.
The White House confirmed Friday that Trump dismissed commissioners Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland. Republican Commissioner Christy McCormick recently resigned, and Republican Donald Palmer left earlier this year, leaving the four-member commission without any sitting commissioners.
The White House said Trump acted under a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that expanded presidential authority to remove members of independent federal agencies.
“The President… 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 White House said in a statement.
The Election Assistance Commission distributes federal grants to states, oversees testing and certification of voting equipment, and maintains the national voter registration form. Congress created the agency in 2002 through the bipartisan Help America Vote Act, requiring it to have two Republican and two Democratic commissioners confirmed by the Senate.
The dismissals are the latest in Trump’s broader effort to influence election administration, despite the Constitution giving primary authority over elections to the states.
Earlier this year, Trump issued executive orders seeking to require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and directing other election changes. Federal courts blocked most of those orders, ruling that election administration is largely the responsibility of Congress and state governments rather than the president.
The administration has also urged states to remove suspected noncitizens from voter rolls and continues to investigate Trump’s disputed claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
Election experts say the commission shake-up is unlikely to affect how the 2026 midterm elections are conducted because states retain control over election procedures.
“This doesn’t really change anything about how our elections will be run,” David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, wrote on social media Friday.
Democratic lawmakers sharply criticized Trump’s action.
Sen. Alex Padilla of California and Rep. Joe Morelle of New York accused the president of undermining an independent agency created to keep elections fair and secure. They also blamed the Supreme Court’s recent ruling for expanding presidential authority over independent commissions.
The White House did not say whether Trump plans to nominate new commissioners. If the vacancies remain unfilled, the commission could face challenges carrying out some of its responsibilities, including approving new grants for state election offices and overseeing voting system certification.
One issue that appears to have contributed to the dispute was the commission’s refusal to require documentary proof of citizenship on the federal voter registration form, despite Trump’s request in a March executive order. Current federal law already makes it illegal for noncitizens to register or vote in federal elections, and applicants must attest under penalty of perjury that they are U.S. citizens.
The fired commissioners could challenge their dismissals in court. Any legal challenge could become another test of the Supreme Court’s recent decisions defining the president’s authority over independent federal agencies. Those rulings have already affected several other boards and commissions across the federal government.