‘Brazen attempt to seize control of our elections’: Dems slam Trump’s EAC firings before midterms

WASHINGTON, DC: Senate Democratic leaders voiced concern after President Donald Trump dismissed the remaining members of the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission (EAC) on Thursday, July 9, arguing the move raised questions about election administration just months before the 2026 midterm elections.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Mark Warner criticized the decision, with Schumer describing it as an effort to undermine an independent federal agency responsible for supporting election officials and certifying voting systems. The White House announced that the remaining commissioners had been fired, leaving the four-member commission vacant.

Schumer, Warner criticize EAC firings ahead of 2026 midterm elections

Responding to the dismissals, Schumer linked the move to Trump's broader election messaging, writing that the president had previously said Republicans should "take over the voting."

"Firing every remaining member of the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission months before the midterms is a brazen attempt to seize control of our elections before a single vote is cast," Schumer wrote. He added that the administration was "gutting the independent agency that certifies voting systems and helps election officials run secure elections."

Schumer also said Senate Democrats would oppose the move, writing, "Senate Democrats will fight this power grab at every turn. The American people, not Donald Trump, will decide the 2026 election."

Warner questioned the dismissals even before the official announcement, noting that every commissioner had previously been confirmed unanimously by the Senate, including one originally appointed during Trump's first administration.

"Reports that the White House has dismissed the remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission... should concern every American, regardless of party," Warner wrote, describing the EAC as an "independent, bipartisan body."

Warner added that removing every commissioner "just months before the 2026 midterm elections is an extraordinary step that demands an immediate explanation from the administration and raises profound concerns about political interference in the institutions that support our elections."

White House leaves Election Assistance Commission without leadership

Earlier in the day, the White House notified Democratic commissioners Thomas Hicks and Ben Hovland that their appointments had been terminated. Republican commissioner Christy McCormick also departed the agency, while Republican commissioner Donald Palmer had resigned earlier this year, leaving the commission without any sitting members.

According to an email sent by the White House, commissioners were informed, "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."

Created under the Help America Vote Act of 2002, the Election Assistance Commission serves as a national resource for election administration, certifies voting equipment, accredits testing laboratories and maintains the federal mail voter registration form established under the National Voter Registration Act.

With the commission now vacant, election law experts have raised questions about how the agency's statutory responsibilities will be carried out ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and whether bipartisan agencies created by Congress fall within recent Supreme Court rulings expanding presidential removal authority.