President Donald Trump has removed key members of a bipartisan federal election oversight body after the commission pushed back on his efforts to require proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration.
The White House confirmed Friday that it took executive action against members of the Election Assistance Commission — a federal agency responsible for distributing grants to state election offices, overseeing the testing of voting equipment, and maintaining the national voter registration form.
The move is the latest step in Trump’s ongoing effort to expand presidential influence over how elections are run in the United States. It follows a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that granted the president new authority to dismiss members of independent agency boards.
In a statement to the Associated Press, the White House said: “The President, and head of the Executive Branch, 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. The Slaughter decision gives the President precedence to do so.”
Trump removed the commission’s two Democratic members, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland. Republican member Christy McCormick stepped down through resignation, while former Republican commissioner Donald Palmer had already departed voluntarily earlier this year.
The story was first reported by VoteBeat, a news organization focused on elections and voting issues across the country.
Although the White House did not provide a specific reason for the removals, the commission had previously refused to update the national voter registration form to include citizenship documentation requirements — a change Trump called for in a sweeping executive order on elections issued in March 2025. A federal judge struck down that order, ruling it overstepped presidential authority since the U.S. Constitution places control over elections with Congress and the states. The administration has signaled it will appeal that ruling.
It remains uncertain whether Trump intends to quickly nominate replacements or allow the seats to remain vacant. With midterm elections approaching, leaving the agency without a full board could block it from issuing new grants to state and local election offices and could complicate its role in certifying and testing voting systems nationwide.
“The Administration from the start has been working across all agencies and local partners to safeguard elections from fraud and abuse, and investing in a strong infrastructure to sustain that mission especially in the midterm elections,” the White House added.
Congress established the four-member commission through the Help America Vote Act, a bipartisan law signed by Republican President George W. Bush in 2002. The law requires the panel to include two Democrats and two Republicans, each nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Hicks and McCormick were originally appointed by President Barack Obama, while Trump named Hovland during his first term in office.
According to VoteBeat, Hicks and Hovland learned of their dismissals through an email signed by Morgan DeWitt Snow, the deputy director of presidential personnel in the Executive Office of the President.
