Full Breakdown
Senator Slotkin Seeks Assurance That U.S. Troops Won’t Be Sent to Midterm Polling Places
8/20/2026, 1:35:42 AM
Slotkin Requests Confirmation on Military Non-Deployment for Midterms
Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.) sent letters to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and to Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, asking each to confirm that the Department of Defense will not deploy federal troops to polling locations or seize election materials during the upcoming November midterm elections. The senator, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees, framed the request as a “simple statement” needed to uphold the nonpartisan tradition of the U.S. military.
Background: Trump’s Election-Related Rhetoric and Past Deployments
President Donald Trump has repeatedly asserted that he defeated President Joe Biden and has suggested that the midterms could be “stolen.” In a recent interview, Trump told commentator Wayne Allyn Root, “Let me just say that stranger things have happened, OK? I’ll leave it at that.” He also expressed regret for not deploying National Guard troops to seize voting machines in swing states after the 2020 election. The administration has previously used the National Guard and active-duty Marines for domestic operations, including a 2025 deployment of Marines to Los Angeles during an immigration crackdown. The Department of Justice has deployed more than 75 monitors across five states during the primary season and plans to send 1,000 poll monitors for the general election.
Official Responses from the Pentagon and Joint Chiefs
The Pentagon replied by email that it will respond directly to Slotkin’s correspondence, as it does with all congressional letters. The Joint Chiefs of Staff did not immediately comment. Gen.
Legislative Effort: Protect Our Polls Act
In June, Slotkin introduced the Protect Our Polls Act, which would require a Joint Resolution of Approval from Congress before any president could order military personnel or federal agents to a polling site. The bill seeks to codify the legal prohibition on deploying armed forces to election locations except to repel armed enemies.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Let me just say that stranger things have happened, OK?I’ll leave it at that,” — President Trump, noted president
- “It is hard to miss that the President is laying the groundwork to send troops to the polls during the midterm elections,” — Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin
- “The nonpartisan tradition of military service and the constitutional guardrails that prevent our military from becoming a domestic police force for one political party are essential to maintaining our democracy,” — Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin
- “I'd ask you to confirm a simple statement: the Department of Defense will not send Federal troops to the polls or to seize election materials of any kind,” — Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin
