Trump Accused of Election Power Grab After Removing Federal Election Commission Members

The dismissals effectively leave the US Election Assistance Commission [EAC] without any commissioners, rendering the bipartisan agency unable to carry out its formal responsibilities just months before Americans head to the polls.

According to The Guardian, the EAC is the only federal agency dedicated exclusively to election administration. Critics, including Democratic lawmakers and civil rights organizations, have described Trump’s decision as an attempt to consolidate control over the electoral process, while the White House has defended the move as being within the president’s constitutional authority following a recent US Supreme Court ruling.

The action prompted swift condemnation from Democratic officials and advocacy groups, who argued that the dismissals reflect political calculations ahead of what they anticipate will be a difficult midterm election for the administration.

Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, said Trump fears voters will reject his policies in November.

He argued that “the economy is devastating, he’s starting endless wars resulting in Americans dying, and his paramilitary ICE police force is terrorizing our communities.”

Johnson accused the president of attempting to manipulate the electoral process.

“Trump is terrified of the sacred power we all hold as voters,” he said. “Mr President, your plan will fail miserably. If you think the American people will allow fascism, you are gravely mistaken.”

He pledged that the NAACP would work to mobilize voters and encourage broad participation in the elections.

US Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also denounced the dismissals, describing them as an effort to seize control of the electoral system before voting begins.

In a social media post, Schumer said firing every remaining member of the bipartisan commission only months before the midterms represented “a brazen attempt to seize control of our elections before a single vote is cast.”

He added that Trump was “gutting the independent agency that certifies voting systems and helps election officials run secure elections,” and vowed that Senate Democrats would oppose what he called the administration’s power grab.

“The American people, not Donald Trump, will decide the 2026 election,” Schumer said.

Other Democratic officials echoed those concerns.

Senator Mark Warner of Virginia said the dismissals should concern every American and called for an immediate explanation from the administration.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes accused the White House of creating unnecessary disruption for election officials across the country.

Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, who chairs the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, described the firings as “incredibly irresponsible.”

Aguilar said the EAC plays a vital role in supporting state and local election officials and warned that its absence would force states to shoulder additional responsibilities without federal coordination.

He also criticized what he described as a broader pattern by the administration, citing cuts to election cybersecurity funding and investigations that he said lacked merit.

“From cutting funding for cybersecurity to launching baseless investigations, this pattern of behavior from the Trump administration makes it harder for our election officials to do their work and does nothing to make elections more secure,” Aguilar said.

According to individuals familiar with the matter, Democratic commissioners Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland received emails on Thursday informing them that they had been removed effective immediately.

The commission’s remaining Republican member, Christy McCormick, was reportedly asked to resign rather than being formally dismissed. A fourth commissioner seat had already become vacant earlier this year after Republican Donald Palmer departed to join the Heritage Foundation.

The Election Assistance Commission was established under the Help America Vote Act following the disputed 2000 presidential election.

Although it does not administer elections directly, the commission is responsible for distributing federal election security grants, maintaining the national mail voter registration form, certifying voting systems under federal standards, and providing guidance to state and local election officials.

With no commissioners remaining, the agency cannot take formal action on any of its statutory responsibilities.

The development also leaves the EAC unable to update federal voting standards or revise the national voter registration form, including proposed changes supported by the administration requiring proof of citizenship—an initiative that has already faced legal challenges in federal courts.

Any new commissioners would require confirmation by the US Senate, a process that could extend beyond the November midterm elections.

The White House has maintained that the president possesses the authority to remove officials whose positions are inconsistent with his administration’s election security policies, citing a recent Supreme Court decision that expanded presidential authority over independent federal agencies.

However, election law experts have noted that it remains legally uncertain whether that ruling applies to bipartisan commissions such as the EAC, which Congress intentionally structured to maintain equal partisan representation.

Benjamin Hovland, one of the dismissed commissioners, told NBC News that the agency has long served as a resource for states with limited election administration budgets, helping officials share best practices and improve election security.

He warned that eliminating the commission’s leadership could increase the risk of administrative errors as election officials prepare for the midterms.

“When you’re asking more and more of people without giving them the necessary resources, mistakes happen,” Hovland said.

“It feels much more like a death-of-1,000-cuts situation than there’s one particular thing that you’re concerned about,” he added.