Donald Trump removes final members of independent US election commission

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President Donald Trump has removed the remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the independent federal agency that supports state and local election officials, leaving it without any sitting commissioners just months before the November midterm elections. The White House confirmed the news on Friday, according to Al Jazeera.

The commission is required by law to be evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, and its four-member board was designed to be bipartisan. On Thursday, Trump fired the two Democratic commissioners, Benjamin Hovland and Thomas Hicks, and allowed the sole remaining Republican, Christy McCormick, to resign, as reported by ProPublica and The Guardian. A fourth commissioner, Republican appointee Donald Palmer, had already left in April, according to Al Jazeera.

The dismissals leave the agency operational but without a quorum, meaning it cannot approve new business or changes to election procedures, as reported by Deutsche Welle.

Coverage comparison

The removal of the EAC commissioners was reported across multiple outlets, with varying emphasis.

Al Jazeera focused on the White House confirmation and the structure of the commission, noting that the decision "has further raised concerns that he may seek to intervene in the upcoming midterm elections." The outlet described the EAC as "an independence office created by Congress in 2002 to support state and local election officials," with duties including creating non-binding election guidelines, certifying voting systems, and maintaining the national mail voter registration form.

Deutsche Welle took an investigative angle, reporting that the Trump administration had "explored options for bypassing a bipartisan federal election agency and using emergency powers to push changes to voting systems" before removing the leadership. This reporting, attributed to Reuters, cited people familiar with the matter and listed issues that had irked the administration, including a delay in updating voting machine guidelines and the commission's refusal to implement part of Trump's March 2025 executive order requiring proof of citizenship on the national mail voter registration form. A federal judge later blocked that part of the executive order, ruling the president had exceeded his authority, Deutsche Welle reported.

The Guardian — World carried two reports. One, marked "World," emphasized that the terminations "follow Trump and top administration officials' advocacy to change vote-by-mail requirements and investigations into the 2020 election outcome." The other, also from The Guardian, reported that Trump "has been accused of trying to 'rig' the upcoming US midterm elections" and detailed the emails sent to the Democratic commissioners, seen by Reuters, which said: "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."

ProPublica, which said it was the first to report the actions, characterized the moves as "pushing out" the three remaining members and noted that the commission "was established in 2003 to set standards for state voting systems and to provide funding for upgrades." The outlet reported that a White House official would not confirm the specific actions but said 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."

Key claims

• Removal of commissioners: Trump fired Benjamin Hovland and Thomas Hicks, the Democrats on the commission, and allowed Christy McCormick, the Republican, to resign, according to ProPublica and The Guardian. The Guardian reported that the Democratic commissioners were notified by email on Thursday that they were terminated effective immediately, while McCormick was pushed to resign rather than fired outright.

• Commission's role and structure: The EAC was created by Congress in 2002 under the Help America Vote Act, according to Al Jazeera and The Guardian. ProPublica says the commission was established in 2003. Its duties include setting standards for state voting systems, certifying voting systems, accrediting testing laboratories, and maintaining the national mail voter registration form, as reported by ProPublica and The Guardian. The four-member board is designed to be evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, as reported by multiple outlets.

• Administration's rationale: The White House said the president reserves the right to remove individuals "that may not be totally aligned with the important task of securing America's elections," and that the administration has been "working across all agencies and local partners to safeguard elections from fraud and abuse," as quoted by Al Jazeera and ProPublica. Deutsche Welle reported that the White House had been working to "safeguard elections from fraud and abuse" ahead of the midterms.

• Prior tensions: The commission had declined to implement part of Trump's March 2025 executive order requiring proof of citizenship on the national mail voter registration form, according to Deutsche Welle. A federal judge later blocked that part of the executive order, ruling the president had exceeded his authority, Deutsche Welle reported.

• Impact and next steps: The dismissals leave the agency without a quorum, unable to approve new business or changes to election procedures, as reported by Deutsche Welle. It is unclear how Trump will move ahead with the commission, The Guardian reported.

Perspectives

White House: The White House defended the removals, stating that 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," as quoted by ProPublica and Al Jazeera. The administration said it has been working to "safeguard elections from fraud and abuse" ahead of the midterms.

Democratic critics: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the dismissals "a brazen attempt to grab control of our elections before a single ballot is cast," as reported by The Guardian. He said Democrats would fight the move "at every turn." Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, called the move "reckless and irresponsible," saying the EAC plays a critical role and that election administrators will have to fill the gap, as reported by ProPublica. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said the move "undermines the integrity of nonpartisan election administration," as reported by The Guardian.

Civil rights groups: Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, accused Trump of trying to "rig this election" and said the organization would do everything in its power to mobilize voters, as reported by The Guardian.