US Military Has No Plans to Send Troops to the Polls in November, Top General Says
Gen. Dan Caine said the Joint Force has no plans to use federal troops or federalized National Guard members to seize ballots or voting machines.
- On Monday, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed the Joint Force has no plans to send Federal military personnel or Federalized members of the National Guard to polling places during November's 2026 midterm elections.
- Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin requested the confirmation amid anxiety that the Trump administration could use the military to interfere in elections, citing the president's past deployment of federal agents against the wishes of local leaders.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not replied to Slotkin's request, which was due last Thursday; Federal law prohibits deploying armed federal forces to election locations unless necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.
- During an April congressional hearing, Hegseth dismissed questions about seizing ballots as a "gotcha hypothetical," though he stated, "I've never been ordered to do anything illegal, and I won't."
- In 2020, Gen. Mark Milley affirmed the military's apolitical nature, stating courts and Congress must resolve election disputes, while White House chief of staff Susie Wiles denied that President Donald Trump would use the military to suppress voting.
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‘No plans’ to deploy troops to midterm elections polling sites, top US general says
By Idrees Ali and Jasper Ward WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The top U.S. general said the military has no plans to send federal military personnel or National Guard troops to polling places during this year's midterm elections. In a letter to U.S. S...
Trump 'has no plans' to use military to rig midterms: Joint Chiefs chairman
President Donald Trump "has no plans" to use the military to steal the elections, according to a letter sent by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to a Democratic senator.In a story reported by ABC's Ben Siegel, Gen. Dan Caine wrote a letter to Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) saying "the American Military is a non-partisan Armed Force." He continued that "election administration and security remain the fundamental responsibility of state and local officials. …
US military has no plans to send troops to the polls in November, top general says - The Boston Globe
Gen. Dan Caine made the statement in a letter to a Michigan senator, who recently asked him and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to confirm they won’t send troops to the polls.
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