by WorldTribune Staff, July 10, 2026 Non-AI Real World News

President Donald Trump has cleaned house at the federal agency responsible for certifying U.S. voting systems.

All three of the remaining commissioners on the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) were removed in some way, according to a Reuters report.

The two Democrat commissioners, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, received an email notifying them that they had been fired by Trump. The Republican commissioner, Christy McCormick, was allowed to resign.

“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,” the email reads, according to the news outlet. “Thank you for your ⁠service.”

The firings leave the four-member commission with no commissioners, meaning it cannot take official action until new members are installed. The fourth member, a Republican, had left voluntarily earlier this year, according to USA Today.

A White House official told Reuters that Trump “reserves the right to remove individuals that may not be totally aligned with the important task of securing America’s elections.”

Commissioners are required to be nominated by the president based on recommendations from the Republican and Democrat leadership in the House and Senate, and no more than two commissioners can serve from either party at a time.

Revolver News noted: “Trump can’t fill all four seats with Republicans and turn the commission into his own personal election board, but clearing every seat still matters. The commissioners are gone, formal action has stopped, and Trump now gets to begin rebuilding the agency by nominating new people.”

Why do the new nominations matter so much?

“The EAC isn’t lurking over ballot counters on election night, but it helps decide which voting systems and testing laboratories get federal approval. It also handles guidance, election funding oversight, and the registration form used by voters throughout the country,” Revolver News noted.

“That means this commission is directly involved in several issues Trump believes are part of election integrity, including voting-machine security, paper records, voter registration, citizenship verification, and the way federal election money is used.”

Federal law requires the approval of at least three commissioners before the EAC can take official action. Since there are no commissioners left, there can’t be any formal votes.

Trump has prioritized election integrity in his second term,l pushing hard for citizenship verification, voter-roll accuracy, a reduction in the number of mail-in ballots, paper trails, and reliable election equipment. The EAC has a role in most of those battles.

“The Election Assistance Commission will require documentary, government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship on its voter registration forms,” the White House said.

Revolver News noted: “Obviously, new commissioners won’t be able to wave a magic wand and rewrite election law before November. But a commission led by people who agree with Trump’s election-security agenda could use its existing authority in a very different way from commissioners who resist them.

“So now, we wait and see who he picks and how fast he can get their butts in seats. With the midterms coming up fast, that decision could matter a lot more than most Americans realize.”

250 Years of Freedom Is At Risk

  Ahead of midterms, Trump cleans out Election Assistance Commission, WorldTribune.com