Trump removes members of key election commission ahead of midterms - Yahoo
yahoo.com
Trump removed the two Democrat-appointed commissioners from the federal election oversight body ahead of the 2026 midterms — raising questions about who controls the referees.
Principal-Agent ProblemInstitutional Design TheorySeparation of PowersGame Theory
Theory Briefing
- Trump ousted EAC Chairman Thomas Hicks and a second Democrat-appointed commissioner, leaving the bipartisan election body without its Democratic members.
- The removals come ahead of the 2026 midterms, when the commission would normally oversee federal election administration standards.
- The EAC was designed with equal partisan representation precisely to prevent any one party from controlling election infrastructure decisions.
- Stripping the commission of its Democratic appointees shifts institutional power over election oversight toward the party currently holding the White House.