No Military Deployment Planned for 2026 Midterm Polling Sites, Says Top U.S. General

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine wrote to Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) confirming that the U.S. military will not send federal troops, National Guard units, or other service members to polling places for the November 3, 2026 midterm elections. The letter, received on August 28 [Date Ledger], reiterated that election administration and security remain the responsibility of state and local officials and that the Joint Force has no orders to seize ballots, voting machines, or related material.

The HillThe Straits TimesSouth Bend TribuneWashington Examiner

Sen. Slotkin, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Homeland Security committees, has repeatedly sought written assurances from senior defense officials after President Donald Trump suggested he might “do anything necessary” to ensure “honest elections.” Those remarks, made in May, raised concerns among Democrats that the administration could consider deploying the National Guard or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to polling sites. Earlier in the 2020 cycle, similar letters from Slotkin to then-Chairman Gen. Mark Milley received comparable reassurances.

The Straits Times

• **Gen.

South Bend Tribune

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Slotkin he has never been ordered to do anything illegal and will not comply with any such directive.

South Bend Tribune

• White House chief of staff Susie Wiles previously described the notion that President Trump could use the military to suppress voting as “categorically false.”

Washington Examiner

• He later referenced “nationalizing” elections in a February interview, though he later denied using that specific term.

Washington Examiner

• November 3, 2026 is the deadline for the upcoming congressional, gubernatorial and local elections. [Date Ledger]

The Straits Times

• “I have neither received nor anticipate receiving any unlawful order concerning the role of the Joint Force in the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections.” — Gen. Dan Caine, of staff chairman

South Bend Tribune

• “I've never been ordered to do anything illegal and I won't” — Pete Hegseth, to defense secretary

South Bend Tribune

• “Election administration and security remain the fundamental responsibility of state and local officials. 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,” — Gen. Dan Caine, of staff chairman

The Hill

• “Let me just say that stranger things have happened, OK? I’ll leave it at that,” — Donald Trump, democrats that president

The Hill

• “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,’” — Donald Trump, democrats that president

Washington Examiner

Sen. Slotkin has introduced the Protect Our Polls Act, legislation aimed at preventing any federal interference in election administration. The bill’s progress will be monitored by the Senate Armed Services Committee as the November election approaches.

Politico