U.S. Military Confirms No Plans to Deploy Troops to Polling Places in November Elections

WASHINGTON (AP) — The highest-ranking officer in the U.S. military, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated there are no plans to send troops to polling places during the November 2026 midterm congressional elections. This statement addresses concerns among some Democrats regarding potential military interference in the electoral process under the Trump administration. Caine made this assertion in a letter to Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin, who had requested confirmation from him and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth regarding the deployment of military personnel to polling locations. "The Joint Force has no plans to send Federal military personnel or Federalized members of the National Guard to polling places during the 2026 elections," Caine wrote. He also emphasized that there are no plans to use military personnel to seize ballots, voting machines, or other election-related materials. Caine mentioned, "I have neither received nor anticipate receiving any unlawful order concerning the role of the Joint Force in the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections." Concerns among Democrats have heightened due to previous actions by the Trump administration, including the deployment of federal agents in Democratic-led states against local leaders' wishes. Slotkin expressed earlier in August that Trump has been preparing to claim the elections were stolen, recalling past instances where Trump considered using the military for electoral interference after his 2020 loss. Federal law prohibits the deployment of armed federal forces to election locations unless necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States. If military involvement occurs, it would likely involve the National Guard under state control. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles denied in a Vanity Fair interview last year that Trump would use the military to suppress voting in the midterms. Slotkin's press secretary, Sonja Thrasher, noted that Hegseth has not yet responded to Slotkin's letter regarding troop deployment. The Pentagon has stated it would respond directly to Slotkin's inquiry. During an April congressional hearing, Slotkin asked Hegseth if he would follow orders to seize ballots, to which he responded that he has never been ordered to do anything illegal. In 2020, Gen. Mark Milley, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed a similar concern, affirming the principle of an apolitical U.S. military and stating that disputes over elections should be resolved by U.S. courts and Congress, not the military.