Full Breakdown
Trump Clears the Election Assistance Commission Amid New Presidential Removal Power
7/10/2026, 4:41:53 PM
The Immediate Action
On Thursday, President Donald J. Trump terminated the two remaining Democratic members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC)—Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland—by email and allowed Republican commissioner Christy McCormick to resign. The agency’s fourth commissioner, Donald Palmer, had already left earlier in the year. With all four seats vacant, the EAC lacks a quorum and cannot take official action until new commissioners are appointed and confirmed.
Legal Backdrop: Supreme Court Expansion of Removal Authority
The firings come days after the Supreme Court issued two landmark decisions in late June. In *Trump v. Slaughter*, the Court overturned longstanding precedent and held that the president may remove leaders of independent agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission. A separate case left Federal Reserve governors insulated from such removal. Legal scholars note that the applicability of these rulings to bipartisan election bodies like the EAC remains unsettled.
Key Figures and Groups
- Thomas Hicks – Democratic EAC chair, former staffer on the House Administration Committee.
- Benjamin Hovland – Democratic commissioner since 2019, former acting chief counsel to the Senate Rules Committee.
- Christy McCormick – Republican commissioner since 2014, former Justice Department civil-rights trial attorney.
- Morgan DeWitt Snow – Deputy director of presidential personnel, author of the termination email.
- Rick Hasen – UCLA election-law professor, commentator on the legal uncertainty.
- Congressional leaders – Typically consult Senate and House leaders when nominating EAC commissioners, though this is a custom rather than a statutory requirement.
Why It Matters
The EAC, created by the Help America Vote Act after the 2000 election, provides critical support to states: distributing federal election funds, maintaining the national mail-voter registration form, and certifying voting-system compliance with the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines. With the agency frozen, routine business stalls and the Trump administration loses a direct channel to influence voter-registration forms and voting-system standards ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Many states rely on EAC certification before purchasing or deploying voting equipment.
Official Statements & Responses
The termination email, signed by Morgan DeWitt Snow, stated: “your position as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service.” Neither the White House nor the EAC responded to requests for comment. Legal analyst Rick Hasen emphasized the unresolved nature of the issue: “It’s an open question about the EAC and the [Federal Election Commission].”
Criticism & Opposition
Experts warn that the removals could erode the bipartisan safeguards built into the EAC’s design. Hasen noted that the Supreme Court’s new doctrine “has not been tested as to whether political entities created with bipartisan balance might be subject to another exception.” Critics also point to the agency’s historically limited ability to assert itself on election security, a concern amplified after the 2016 Russian interference.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The Supreme Court’s rulings leave a legal gray area: it is unclear whether the EAC, structured with bipartisan balance, falls under the same removal authority as agencies like the FTC. No litigation has yet challenged the recent dismissals, but any future suit could become the first direct test of the Court’s expanded power over election commissions.
Verbatim Quotes
- “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” — Morgan DeWitt Snow, deputy director of presidential personnel
- “It’s an open question about the EAC and the [Federal Election Commission],” — Rick Hasen, election-law professor, UCLA
- “I think that’s the perfectly named decision,” — Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.), top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee
- “gives the President a power unknown even to the English Crown against which the Founders revolted” — Justice Sonia Sotomayor (dissent)
- “Today’s ruling reverses Humphrey’s and continues the healing process as we dismantle an unchecked regulatory state,” — Kent Lassman, president, Competitive Enterprise Institute
What’s Next
The president must nominate new commissioners, and the Senate must confirm them before the EAC can resume operations. Legal challenges to the dismissals could arise, potentially setting precedent for how the Supreme Court’s removal-power doctrine applies to bipartisan election agencies.
