President Donald Trump has removed the three remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, placing the bipartisan agency in uncertainty as he moves to reshape election procedures ahead of this year’s midterms.

Trump dismissed Benjamin Hovland and Thomas Hicks, the Democratic commissioners, according to multiple sources who spoke with ProPublica, which first reported the moves on its social media channels. Christy McCormick, the Republican member, was permitted to resign, the sources added.

The sudden removal of the commission alarmed voter advocacy organizations and Democratic state election officials, who described the action as reckless and irresponsible.

“The EAC plays a critical role in supporting state and local election officials,” Cisco Aguilar, Nevada’s secretary of state and chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, said in a statement. “It will again fall on Secretaries of State and other election administrators to fill the gap.”

A White House official declined to confirm the specific steps but stated to ProPublica that 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.”

“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 added.

Hicks and McCormick did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Hovland declined to comment on his dismissal.

The commission was created in 2003 to establish standards for state voting systems and to distribute funding for improvements.

Its four-member board is intended to maintain equal representation between Republicans and Democrats, with all members nominated by the president on the advice of congressional leaders and confirmed by the Senate. The fourth commissioner, Don Palmer, a Republican, stepped down in April. By removing the remaining members, Trump can seek replacements who may be more receptive to his priorities.

In March 2025, Trump issued an executive order directing the EAC to revise the national voter registration form to require proof of U.S. citizenship. Voters in nearly all states currently affirm their citizenship under penalty of perjury without providing documentation.

The Trump-aligned law firm America First Legal had urged the EAC to update the form. The commission issued a notice seeking public comments and received hundreds of thousands of responses but had not yet taken a vote.

The Bipartisan Policy Center described the departures as a significant loss for one of the few federal institutions built around bipartisan governance.

The commission has faced ongoing partisan disputes, limited effectiveness, repeated vacancies, and insufficient funding. In recent years it achieved some advances, including updated voting machine standards and new resources for election officials. Many decisions were reached unanimously despite the partisan makeup.