President Donald Trump has removed all remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), a bipartisan federal agency created to help states run secure and fair elections, in a move that comes just months before November's midterm elections. The White House confirmed that Trump dismissed the commission's two Democratic members, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, via email, while the panel's remaining Republican member, Christy McCormick, resigned. A fourth commissioner had already departed voluntarily earlier this year, leaving the EAC with no confirmed commissioners at all.

The EAC, established by the bipartisan Help America Vote Act signed by President George W. Bush in 2002, plays a supporting role in US elections: it distributes federal grants to state and local election offices, oversees testing and certification of voting equipment, and maintains the national voter registration form. Crucially, participation in its guidelines is voluntary, and the agency holds no direct governing authority over how states run their elections. The White House justified the firings by citing a recent Supreme Court ruling — the so-called Slaughter decision — which broadly expanded the president's authority to dismiss members of independent federal agencies without cause. A White House statement said Trump "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."

Election experts were divided on the practical consequences. David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research said the move would not fundamentally alter how states conduct elections, noting that the EAC lacks real enforcement power. However, Democratic officials and lawmakers reacted with alarm. Oregon's Secretary of State Tobias Read called the firings "irresponsible and reckless," while Democratic senators and congressional representatives accused Trump of dismantling an independent safeguard of democracy just months before a major election. Critics also pointed out that leaving the commission vacant could delay grant disbursements to election offices and disrupt the certification process for voting systems ahead of November.

Friday's action is the latest in a series of efforts by Trump to exert presidential influence over US election administration — a domain the Constitution reserves primarily for states and Congress. Courts have repeatedly blocked Trump's executive orders on voting, including one that sought to require proof of citizenship on the national voter registration form and another aimed at restricting mail-in ballots. Trump, who has continued to falsely claim that his 2020 election loss was the result of widespread fraud, is also pressing Congress to pass sweeping new voter identification legislation. The dismissed commissioners could potentially challenge their removal in court, which legal analysts say could force the Supreme Court to revisit the boundaries of the presidential authority it only recently expanded.