US Military Assures No Troops at Polls for November Elections

POLICY WIRE — Washington, USA — The top U.S. military officer has clarified that there are no intentions to deploy troops to polling stations during the upcoming midterm congressional elections in November. This announcement aims to quell Democratic fears that the Trump administration might utilize the military to tamper with the voting process.

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, communicated this assurance in a letter to Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin. Slotkin had previously requested confirmation from Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that troops would not be stationed at polling places.

In his letter, Caine explicitly stated that federal military personnel or federalized National Guard members will not be sent to polling locations during the 2026 elections. He also assured that there are no plans to use military personnel to confiscate ballots, voting machines, or any election-related materials.

Caine, who provides military advice to Hegseth and President Donald Trump, further noted that he has not received and does not expect to receive any unlawful orders regarding the military’s role in the November 2026 midterm elections.

Democratic anxiety about potential election interference by the Trump administration has intensified, especially following the president’s deployment of federal agents in states led by Democrats, against the wishes of local authorities.

Slotkin previously expressed concerns to the Associated Press in August, suggesting that Trump might attempt to claim election fraud. She referenced Trump’s consideration of using the military to seize voting machines after his 2020 loss and his deployment of the National Guard to cities against Democratic leaders’ wishes. Additionally, he deployed active-duty Marines to Los Angeles during his immigration crackdown in 2025.

Federal law restricts the use of armed federal forces at election sites unless it is necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States. If military involvement were to occur, it would likely involve the National Guard under state control.

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles previously denied in a Vanity Fair interview that Trump would use the military to suppress voting in the midterms.

Sonja Thrasher, Slotkin’s press secretary, mentioned that Hegseth has yet to respond to the letter requesting confirmation that troops will not be deployed to the polls in November. Slotkin had requested a response by last Thursday.

The Pentagon did not immediately reply to an email from the AP inquiring about the status of Hegseth’s response to Slotkin. The Pentagon had previously indicated that it would respond directly to the senator.

During an April congressional hearing, Slotkin asked Hegseth if he would comply with orders to seize ballots. Hegseth dismissed the question as a “gotcha hypothetical” but affirmed, I’ve never been ordered to do anything illegal, and I will not.

In 2020, Gen. Mark Milley, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded to a similar letter from Slotkin, who was a congresswoman at the time. Milley expressed his deep belief in the principle of an apolitical U.S. military and stated that any election disputes should be resolved by U.S. courts and Congress, not the military.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)