In a move that’s been called a “direct attack on the independence of our nation’s election infrastructure,” ahead of the November midterm elections, President Donald Trump fired the last remaining Democrats on the Election Assistance Commission on Thursday.
“Removing the commissioners of the Election Assistance Commission is a direct attack on the independence of our nation’s election infrastructure,” said a statement from Celina Stewart, CEO of the bipartisan League of Women Voters. “This extraordinary action strips the EAC of its bipartisan leadership at a moment when election officials need support, stability, and protection from political pressure.”
According to The Hill, the White House confirmed Trump’s firing of the commission’s last Democratic members, Benjamin Hovland and Thomas Hicks. It also reported that Republican member Christy McCormick resigned. They were the only commissioners listed on the EAC website and the Bipartisan Policy Center noted that the agency now has no sitting commissioners.
“The removal of several of the Commissioners is a significant loss for one of the federal government’s few institutions explicitly designed around bipartisan governance,” the Bipartisan Policy Center said. “The commission’s most recent members demonstrated that bipartisan collaboration on the practical work of election administration remained possible. The Commissioners nearly always voted unanimously.”
As commissioners, they were expected to test and certify voting systems, act as a clearinghouse for election administration research and information, distribute grants to states and territories, track and report state compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and collect data from every election jurisdiction after federal elections.
Per the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) that established the EAC, four commissioners should be nominated by the president based on recommendations from the majority and minority leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, according to that site. No more than two commissioners may be from the same political party.
“Once confirmed by the full Senate, commissioners may serve two consecutive [four year] terms,” the EAC said. “HAVA states that members of the commission shall continue to serve past their expired term until a successor takes office.”
The Bipartisan Policy Center noted that all three of the commissioners who were on the commission had been on expired terms since 2021 and one commissioner’s term expired more than a decade ago. Without the commissioners, the EAC’s executive director and staff will still be able to execute many of the commission’s responsibilities, but it cannot function fully, the center added.
Prominent Democrats criticized the Trump administration’s move to fire the Democratic commissioners.
“Here we go again. President Trump is trying to dismantle yet another independent guardrail of our democracy designed to keep elections fair and secure,” said a statement from U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). “Purging commissioners just months before the midterm elections and further gutting support for our state and local elections officials is a blatant part of his plan to politicize our elections and enable more unlawful and dangerous election interference. Trump continues to double down on his efforts to erode trust in our elections, undermine independent oversight, and further his Administration’s attempt to ‘take over’ elections. Americans deserve elections that are safe, secure, and run free from political interference – not overseen by partisan loyalists and election deniers beholden to Trump.”
“Donald Trump said Republicans should ‘take over the voting.’ Today, he took another step toward doing exactly that,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). “Firing every remaining member of the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission months before the midterms is a brazen attempt to seize control of our elections before a single vote is cast. He is gutting the independent agency that certifies voting systems and helps election officials run secure elections.”
Earlier this year, Trump said he thinks Republicans should take over elections in “at least 15 places” in a podcast interview with former Federal Bureau of Investigation deputy director Dan Bongino. Trump claimed that elections in those places is “crooked,” but also cited incorrect alleged election numbers. At the time, experts have noted that this proposal was not constitutional. Trump has also hinted at pursuing an unconstitutional third term in office.
When it comes to removing the EAC commissioners, a White House official told The Hill that the recent Trump v. Slaughter U.S. Supreme Court decision gives the president “precedence,” to do so.
“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,” said the White House official in a statement cited by The Hill. The official added: “The Administration from the start has been working across all agencies and local partners to safeguard elections from fraud and abuse, and investing in a strong infrastructure to sustain that mission especially in the midterm elections.”
Audacy covered controversy over a proposed rule from the U.S. Postal Service that would require states to hand over voter information to the federal government in order for ballots to be counted. While USPS leadership said the move would make elections more efficient, critics point out that it could compromise the agency’s neutral role in elections.
Last month, Audacy also covered results of a Reuters/Ipsos poll that found there is tension between Republicans and Democrats over election integrity. Two-thirds of the poll respondents, including 85% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans, said they agreed with a statement that American democracy was in danger of failing.
“The overall share seeing democracy at risk was up from 57% in a poll conducted in August of last year, with the increase driven by more Republicans worried about democracy’s staying power,” according to Reuters.
The Hill said it’s unclear what will happen next with the EAC. Trump could appoint new commissioners, but they would need to be confirmed by the Senate.
