General Dan Caine, the chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated in a letter that there are no plans to deploy troops to polling places during the elections on November 3, 2026. This assurance was made in response to concerns from Democratic lawmakers regarding potential military interference in the electoral process. Caine's letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press, emphasized that the Joint Force has no intentions of sending federal military personnel or members of the National Guard to polling locations or using them to seize ballots or voting machines.
The letter was addressed to Democratic US Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, who had requested confirmation from both Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth regarding the military's role in the upcoming elections. Caine also mentioned that he has not received any unlawful orders concerning the Joint Force's involvement in the elections.
Concerns among Democrats have increased regarding the potential for the Trump administration to interfere in the midterm elections, particularly following previous instances where federal agents were deployed in Democratic-led states. Slotkin noted that Trump had previously suggested using the military to seize voting machines after his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden.
Federal law restricts the deployment of armed federal forces at election sites unless necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States. If military involvement occurs, it would likely be through the National Guard under state control. Slotkin emphasized the importance of maintaining a nonpartisan military to uphold democracy.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles previously denied claims that Trump would use the military to suppress voting. Slotkin's press secretary indicated that Hegseth has not yet responded to her request for confirmation regarding troop deployment. In a similar context in 2020, General Mark Milley, the then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, affirmed the principle of an apolitical military, stating that any election disputes should be resolved by U.S. courts and Congress, not the military.