Overview
- On Thursday, July 9, 2026, the White House sent termination emails through the Presidential Personnel Office to two Democratic commissioners and accepted a Republican resignation, leaving the four-seat Election Assistance Commission empty.
- The administration cited last month’s Supreme Court decision in Trump v. Slaughter as its legal basis for the ousters and said the president may remove officials who are not aligned with his election-security priorities.
- The EAC cannot lawfully take major actions without at least three confirmed commissioners, which stops formal votes on voting-system certification, testing-lab accreditation, and any change to the national mail voter registration form.
- Senate Democrats, voting-rights groups, and watchdogs called the removals political interference, and legal experts say fired commissioners could bring a case that would be the first direct test of whether the Court’s expanded removal rule applies to statutorily bipartisan agencies.
- Career EAC staff can continue routine work, but any restoration of the commission’s decision-making will require presidential nominations and Senate confirmations, a process that could be slow and affect states, vendors, and federal support ahead of the November 2026 midterms.