President Trump Removes Two Election Assistance Commission Members

President Donald Trump removed the two Democratic members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on Thursday. The White House confirmed the action on Friday and stated that the president reserves the right to remove individuals not aligned with securing elections.

The commission now has no sitting members. Republican commissioner Christy McCormick resigned this week. Former Republican commissioner Donald Palmer left his post voluntarily earlier in 2026. The four-seat bipartisan commission was created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and requires two Democrats and two Republicans nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland were notified of their removal by an email signed by Morgan DeWitt Snow, deputy director of presidential personnel. Hicks and McCormick were appointed by President Barack Obama. Hovland was appointed by President Trump during his first term.

The commission distributes federal grants to states, oversees testing of voting systems, and maintains the national voter registration form. The White House cited the Supreme Court’s 6-3 Slaughter decision last month, which held that the president can fire political appointees of most independent agencies without cause.

In a separate 5-4 decision last month, the court ruled that President Trump cannot fire Federal Reserve Board governors without cause.

In March 2025, President Trump issued an executive order directing the EAC to require documentation of U.S. A federal judge blocked that order, ruling it exceeded presidential authority.

The administration has indicated it will appeal. Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Joe Morelle stated that President Trump is trying to dismantle an independent guardrail of democracy. David Becker, former Department of Justice attorney and director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, stated on BlueSky that the change does not alter how elections are run.