President Donald Trump entered his second term pledging to clean up America’s broken election system, and by all measures, he is doing so.
Trump made another big election integrity move on Friday that is sure to drive Democrats crazy – and to court.
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Trump removed the remaining members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, firing its two Democratic commissioners while the agency’s last Republican commissioner resigned, leaving the bipartisan panel without any sitting members.
The shake-up has set the stage for a major legal and political battle just months before Americans head to the polls.
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The unprecedented move immediately ignited fierce reactions in Washington, with supporters calling it a long-overdue effort to strengthen election security while critics accused the administration of attempting to reshape the nation’s election system ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
According to reports, Democratic commissioners Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland received emails from the Executive Office of the President informing them that their service had been terminated immediately.
“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” the email stated.
Republican Commissioner Christy McCormick was asked to resign, according to multiple reports, while Republican Commissioner Donald Palmer had already left the agency earlier this year, leaving all four commissioner seats vacant.
Created by Congress through the Help America Vote Act of 2002, the Election Assistance Commission does not run elections.
Instead, it distributes federal grants, develops voluntary voting system guidelines, certifies voting systems through accredited testing laboratories, and maintains the national mail voter registration form used by many states.
Because the commission is now without members, it cannot approve many significant actions requiring commissioner votes until new members are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
The White House defended Trump’s actions by citing the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Trump v. Slaughter, which expanded the president’s authority to remove officials from certain independent agencies.
“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,” the White House said in a statement.
The removals also come after months of disagreements between the administration and the commission over election priorities, including proposals to require proof of U.S. citizenship for the federal mail voter registration form.
Reuters reported that administration officials had explored other avenues to implement election changes before the commissioners were removed.
Trump has repeatedly called on Congress to pass the SAVE Act, legislation that would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
Democrats quickly condemned the decision.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the move “a brazen attempt to seize control of our elections before a single vote is cast.”
“Donald Trump said Republicans should ‘take over the voting.’ Today, he took another step toward doing exactly that,” Schumer said.
The White House rejected that criticism, maintaining the president is exercising lawful executive authority and arguing the administration’s goal is to strengthen election security and ensure that only legal votes are counted, Red State reported.
BREAKING: The Trump White House just ousted all three sitting members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission — hamstringing the bipartisan agency ahead of the midterms.
The EAC helps state and local officials run elections, including by certifying election equipment.…
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 10, 2026
Donald Trump said Republicans should “take over the voting.” Today, he took another step toward doing exactly that.
Firing every remaining member of the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission months before the midterms is a brazen attempt to seize control of our elections… https://t.co/MlgKasRgtW
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 10, 2026
It remains unclear when Trump will nominate replacements or how quickly the Senate could act on confirmations, but until a quorum is restored, the Election Assistance Commission’s ability to approve new policies or major actions will remain significantly limited.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
