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.
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
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.
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.
“On behalf of President Donald J
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 10, 2026
The EAC helps state and local officials run elections, including by certifying election equipment.…
Donald Trump said Republicans should “take over the voting.” Today, he took another step toward doing exactly that.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 10, 2026
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
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.
