President Donald Trump terminated the final three members of the Election Assistance Commission on July 9, 2026, leaving the bipartisan federal agency without leadership.
The White House ousted all three sitting members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) via a combination of emails and phone calls. Hovland were dismissed by email, while Republican commissioner Christy McCormick was asked to resign.
The commission, which is designed to be bipartisan with two Republicans and two Democrats, had already been diminished when Republican Don Palmer resigned earlier this year. With the recent removals, the agency currently has no sitting commissioners.
Supreme Court Precedent and Executive Authority
The White House cited a recent Supreme Court decision as the legal basis for the removals, noting that the ruling granted the president expanded power to fire leaders of agencies originally designed to be independent. A White House official stated 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
, according to Reuters.
This shift in authority comes as the administration pushes for more federal intervention in voting processes—areas traditionally managed by individual states.
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.
White House termination email, via Reuters
EAC Operational Risks and Midterm Timelines
The EAC is the only federal agency devoted exclusively to election administration. It performs several critical technical and administrative functions, including certifying voting systems, accrediting testing laboratories, and maintaining the national mail voter registration form created by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Between 2018 and 2025, the agency distributed more than $1 billion in grants for election security, nbcnews.com reports.
The timing of the vacancy is a primary point of contention for election officials. Because presidential appointments to the EAC require Senate confirmation, filling the seats could take months. This creates a leadership vacuum during the critical preparation window for the November midterms.
Benjamin Hovland, one of the fired Democratic commissioners, noted that the agency serves as a national clearinghouse
for sharing best practices. He warned that depriving local administrators of these resources increases the risk of mistakes, describing the situation as a death-of-1,000-cuts situation
for election infrastructure.
Institutional Stability and Bipartisan Reactions
Adrian Fontes, Arizona’s Democratic secretary of state, called the administration’s actions irresponsible and dangerous
, stating that the move undermines the integrity of nonpartisan election administration. Michael Waldman of the Brennan Center for Justice added that the removals leave the agency unable to carry out its major responsibilities.
Historical Precedent for Agency Vacancies
While the current total vacancy is stark, the EAC has faced leadership gaps before. Matthew Weil, a vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center and former EAC staffer, told NBC News that the panel was left without commissioners for three years starting in December 2011. During that period, the agency was pretty well hamstrung
, though it eventually adapted to allow staff to continue essential work such as certifying equipment.
However, Weil emphasizes that commissioners are still necessary to set new policies and coordinate with local officials—tasks that staff alone cannot perform.
The Stakes for the 2026 Midterms
The current vacuum occurs amidst a broader environment of distrust in federal election support. According to detroitnews.com, state and local officials have already reported a significant drop in assistance from other federal agencies and expressed skepticism that these agencies will reliably share information regarding election threats.
The immediate impact is a loss of bipartisan oversight. By law, the commission must be evenly split between two Republicans and two Democrats. By removing all remaining members, the administration has cleared the board, though any new appointees will still face the hurdle of Senate confirmation before they can resume the commission’s work of certifying voting systems and distributing federal funds.
Worth a look
- Broad Peak Avalanche: 3 Dead as Rescue Efforts Seek Nirmal Purja and Others
- Trump Threatens Military Strikes on Iran’s Fortified Pickaxe Mountain Site
- The Senate Blue Slip, Explained: The Custom Trump Wants Gone (daybreakwire.com)
- Trump Administration Admits Reflecting Pool Work Was Botched, Not Vandalized (archyde.com)
