President Donald Trump has removed the remaining three members of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), an independent federal agency that helps election administrators across the country. The move leaves the commission completely empty just months before the midterm elections.

The final trio of commissioners — the last of what had been a four-member bipartisan panel — were dismissed on Thursday. Republican appointee Christy McCormick was allowed to resign, while Democratic appointees, Chair Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, were fired via an email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office. The fourth commissioner had already left in April.

The White House confirmed to Reuters that the president has the authority to remove officials who are not fully aligned with protecting election integrity and ensuring every legal vote is counted, citing a Supreme Court ruling as support.

Any nominees to fill the EAC's four vacant seats must be confirmed by the Senate, and federal law limits the commission to no more than two members from the same political party. That means any new slate of commissioners will need bipartisan buy-in, which could be a tall order in the current political climate.

EAC Left Leaderless Before Midterms

This move follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that allows Trump to dismiss leaders of independent agencies or commissions, except the Federal Reserve, overturning a 90-year-old court precedent that limited executive power. The decision stemmed from Trump's March 2025 dismissal of Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter.

With no commissioners, the EAC is effectively leaderless. While the agency doesn't run elections directly, it plays a supporting role: certifying voting machines, managing the national mail voter registration form, providing training, and distributing election security grants. All of that is now in limbo.

The White House also told Reuters that the Trump administration is working with federal agencies and local partners to protect elections from fraud and strengthen election infrastructure ahead of the midterms. This comes as Trump has repeatedly called on Congress to pass the SAVE America Act as a priority to reduce voting fraud before the November elections.