‘No plans’ to deploy troops to midterm polling sites, top US general says
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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said election administration and security remain the responsibility of state and local officials.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- The top US general confirmed there are no plans to deploy federal troops or National Guard at polling sites during the 2026 midterm elections.
- Election security and administration remain the responsibility of state and local officials, with no military involvement in handling ballots or voting machines.
- Concerns about military interference arose after Trump suggested using troops to ensure election honesty, but federal law prohibits troops' deployment at polling places.
AI generated
WASHINGTON – The top US general said the military has no plans to send federal military personnel or National Guard troops to polling places during 2026’s midterm elections.
In a letter to US Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said election administration and security remain the responsibility of state and local officials.
Caine’s letter, which was obtained by Reuters, was sent in response to a request from Slotkin, who had sought assurances from senior military leaders, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, that the Trump administration would not interfere in the November elections.
While stressing that no such deployment is planned, Caine said the military has no plans to seize ballots, voting machines or other election-related material.
“I have neither received nor anticipate receiving any unlawful order concerning the role of the Joint Force in the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections,” Caine wrote.
The letter was received on Aug 28, according to an official.
Millions of Americans are due to vote on Nov 3 in congressional, gubernatorial and local elections.
Democrats, including Slotkin, have raised concerns that the Trump administration could seek to use troops or other armed federal personnel near polling places.
Those concerns were fuelled in part by comments President Donald Trump had made in May.
When asked whether he would send National Guard troops or Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to voting locations, Trump had said he would “do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections”.
Federal law generally prohibits the deployment of US troops at polling places or their use in overseeing elections, reflecting long-standing restrictions on military involvement in the electoral process. REUTERS
