Trump fires 2 members US election commission, Vice Chair quits

President Donald Trump has terminated two of the federal Election Assistance Commission's three members, eliminating the panel's ability to help local election officials prepare for the 2026 midterms. The two commissioners selected by congressional Democrats, Chairman Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, each received an email dismissing them on July 9. According to reports,Christy McCormick, the commission's vice chair who was selected by congressional Republicans, also resigned June 9. A fourth position on the commission became vacant earlier this year when Republican Donald Palmer voluntarily left the agency.
The terminations follow Trump and top administration officials’ advocacy to change vote-by-mail requirements and investigations into the 2020 election outcome, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden. “It is irresponsible and dangerous that this Administration remains dead set on causing chaos for our election officials across this country,” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said in a Thursday statement. “This move undermines the integrity of nonpartisan election administration.” The 2002 law that established the commission, the Help America Vote Act, states the president can appoint replacements to the commission.
The Election Assistance Commission serves as a “national clearinghouse of information on election administration,” accredits testing laboratories and certifies voting systems, and maintains the national mail voter registration form developed by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, according to the commission’s website. The White House issued a statement saying the president "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."
By law, commissioners must be nominated by the president based on recommendations from the Republican and Democratic leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. There cannot be more than two representatives of either political party on the commission at a time. The commissioners must be confirmed by the Senate. The commission is the only federal agency devoted solely to election administration. It was created by Congress after the 2000 election to help states improve election administration without federalizing elections. It plays a mostly supportive role: distributing federal election funds, maintaining the national mail voter registration form, testing and certifying voting systems and offering guidance to state and local election officials.