U.S. Election Assistance Commission Commissioner Benjamin Hovland speaks during a House Administration Subcommittee on Elections hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 20, 2026. —Andrew Harnik—Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump has forced out the three remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), dismantling the independent board that helps states and local officials carry out elections just four months before the pivotal midterms.The President on Thursday fired the two Democratic members of the commission, Chairman Thomas Hicks and former Chairman Benjamin Hovland, the latter of whom was nominated by Trump himself during his first term. Republican Commissioner Christy McCormick also resigned, a White House official confirms to TIME.This leaves all four seats on the EAC vacant ahead of the midterms. Donald Palmer, the other Republican commissioner, resigned in April. The White House official tells TIME that Trump “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.” Read More: Trump Claims Mail-In Voting Is ‘Corrupt.’ But Research Indicates Fraud Is Very, Very RareThey add that the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Trump v. Slaughter “gives the President precedence to do so.” That ruling, issued by the Court last month, expanded the President’s power to fire the leaders of independent agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission at will.“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 official adds. Trump has long touted false claims that U.S. elections are mired with widespread fraud and abuse, and has drawn on that baseless narrative to aggressively push for restricting practices such as mail-in voting and imposing stricter identification requirements for voters. It is not yet clear whether Trump will appoint new commissioners to the board, or what will happen with the EAC if all four seats remain vacant.What is the Election Assistance Commission?The EAC is a bipartisan, independent agency that assists in administering elections.Created under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in 2002, it establishes voting guidelines, certifies voting systems, maintains the national voter registration form, distributes federal elections grants, and functions as a clearinghouse of information on best practices for elections. Of the EAC’s four total commissioner seats, only two may be filled by commissioners belonging to the same political party. The President nominates EAC commissioners, and they must be confirmed by a simple majority vote in the Senate. Under the EAC’s governing rules, the vote of at least three of the commissioners is required for it to approve any official actions.Like other independent agencies, the EAC is designed to operate outside the direct control of the President or his Cabinet secretaries and maintain a degree of autonomy from the executive branch.Trump’s ousters draw backlash Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York condemned Trump’s move to force out the EAC’s remaining commissioners late on Thursday, calling it “a brazen attempt to seize control of our elections before a single vote is cast.” Schumer vowed that “Senate Democrats will fight this power grab at every turn.”Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said that Trump’s move “should concern every American, regardless of party, because the EAC was established by Congress as an independent, bipartisan body to help states administer secure and credible elections.”“Removing every remaining 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,” Warner wrote on his X account on Thursday. Sen. Alex Padilla of California and Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, the ranking members of two congressional committees that oversee election policies, released a joint statement in the wake of the ousters, accusing Trump of “trying to dismantle yet another independent guardrail of our democracy designed to keep elections fair and secure” and calling the decision “a blatant part of his plan to politicize our elections and enable more unlawful and dangerous election interference.”Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, another Democrat, released a statement in which he described the move as “irresponsible and dangerous,” accusing the Administration of being “dead set on causing chaos for our election officials across this country.”Trump’s actions also met with outcry from voting and public policy organizations. The League of Women Voters issued a statement from its CEO, Celina Stewart, calling the commissioners’ removals “a direct attack on the independence of our nation's election infrastructure.” “This extraordinary action strips the EAC of its bipartisan leadership at a moment when election officials need support, stability, and protection from political pressure,” the statement continued.Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice, called the terminations “deeply concerning in light of President Trump’s relentless efforts to try to interfere in elections,” noting that they “leave the agency without leadership and unable to carry out its major responsibilities.”