TRUMP FIRES REMAINING ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION MEMBERS

President Donald Trump has fired the remaining Democratic members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, leaving the federal election-administration agency without commissioners months before the 2026 midterm elections, according to the Associated Press and The Guardian. AP reported that the dismissed commissioners were Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, both Democrats, while the commission's lone Republican member was also pushed out, leaving the agency without any sitting commissioners.

The Election Assistance Commission was created after the 2000 election to support state and local election administration, distribute federal election grants, maintain the national mail voter-registration form and help oversee voting-system standards, according to AP and The Guardian. The commission does not run elections, which remain administered by state and local officials, but it plays a technical and funding role in the national election system.

AP reported that the commission had resisted Trump's effort to require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration. The Guardian reported that Trump's broader push to reshape voting rules has included efforts to overhaul vote-by-mail policies and scrutiny tied to his past claims about election fraud.

The firings drew immediate criticism from Democrats and voting-rights advocates. The Guardian reported that Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the move a "brazen attempt to seize control" of elections, while AP reported that Democratic critics said the dismissals undermine election integrity and politicize a bipartisan election-support agency.

The White House defended the move as part of a broader effort to strengthen election security, according to the New York Post. AP reported that the dismissals followed a recent Supreme Court ruling expanding presidential authority to remove officials from independent agencies, though the full legal implications for the Election Assistance Commission may still be tested.

The commission's immediate operating capacity is unclear. The Guardian reported that core functions may continue through staff, but that the agency's full authority is diminished without commissioners. AP reported that the lack of commissioners could hinder grant distribution and voting-system certification work, depending on how long the vacancies remain.

State and local officials remain responsible for administering elections, but the timing of the firings has increased concern because the midterms are only months away. AP reported that critics said the move could create uncertainty for election officials preparing voting systems, registration procedures and federal funding needs ahead of November.

It is not yet clear whether Trump will nominate replacement commissioners before the midterms or whether the dismissed commissioners will challenge their removals in court. AP reported that any legal fight could renew questions about presidential power over independent agencies after the Supreme Court's recent ruling.

The immediate questions are whether new commissioners are appointed quickly, whether the fired members sue to block their removal, and whether the commission can continue its election-support work without a functioning bipartisan board. Until those questions are resolved, the dismissals leave a federal election-administration agency in an unusually uncertain position before a national election.

Fact-check date: 10 July 2026
Article type: News
Sources: Associated Press, The Guardian, New York Post, White House statements reported by New York Post