Trump removes all Election Assistance Commission members—what happens next?

On July 9, 2026—reportedly late Thursday night—President Donald Trump pushed out the last three remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), leaving the bipartisan agency without sitting commissioners as the midterm election cycle is underway, according to ProPublica and the Associated Press. The EAC’s governing-board gap matters because the agency’s work is tied to federal election assistance and election-technology oversight functions built around the Help America Vote Act.

What happened, and who is affected

ProPublica reported that Trump fired EAC Democrats Benjamin Hovland and Thomas Hicks, while allowing Republican commissioner Christy McCormick to resign. ProPublica also reported that voter advocates and Democratic state election officials warned the move could create a practical gap. The Associated Press similarly reported that the White House confirmed the removals and pointed to a Supreme Court decision as the basis for the action.

Roll Call added additional details, reporting that Trump fired Chair Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland and that Christy McCormick resigned—resulting in “no members” on the commission.

What the EAC does that ties into voting administration

On its own website, the EAC describes responsibilities that include developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements and adopting voluntary voting-system guidelines; serving as a national clearinghouse of election-administration information; accrediting testing laboratories and certifying voting systems; and auditing the use of HAVA funds. The agency also maintains the national mail voter registration form developed under the National Voter Registration Act.

With commissioners removed, the key practical question for states and local election officials is less about whether staff exists and more about whether certain formal, time-sensitive steps that rely on commissioner involvement can continue on the same timetable—or face delays—while new leadership is pending.

The legal backdrop: a Supreme Court removal precedent

Reporting tied the White House’s justification to the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Slaughter, decided June 29, 2026. In broad terms, the ruling expanded the president’s authority to remove leaders of independent executive agencies notwithstanding statutory limits, reshaping the legal assumptions behind “independent” oversight structures.

That’s why the change at the EAC quickly became a governance-and-timing story for election administration: it affects what a federal election-assistance agency can formally do while it lacks sitting commissioners.

What to watch next

In the days ahead, election officials and voters will want watch-for updates on three fronts:

• Whether new commissioners are nominated/confirmed quickly: AP reported it wasn’t clear whether Trump planned to fill the vacancies immediately.
• Continuity signals from the EAC: any official guidance clarifying what can proceed while the commission is without members—especially around grant-related oversight and voting-system testing/certification pathways.
• Possible legal challenges: removed commissioners and other stakeholders may seek court review, with more litigation possible.

For local election administrators, the bottom line is uncertainty: even if day-to-day election management remains largely with states, federal assistance and technology oversight can still be affected by whether the EAC can act through its commissioner structure during a time-sensitive midterm period.

Sources

• Associated Press: EAC members removed—what it could mean
• U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) — About the EAC
• ProPublica: Trump pushes out last federal EAC members
• U.S. Supreme Court: Trump v. Slaughter (official opinion PDF)