Top US general says no plans to deploy troops at polling places during midterms
Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- The US military has no plans to deploy federal troops or National Guard personnel to polling places during the 2026 midterm elections.
- Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine told Senator Elissa Slotkin that state and local authorities remain responsible for election administration and security.
- Caine also said he had neither received nor expected to receive an unlawful order involving the military’s role in the elections.
The top US general has sought to reassure lawmakers that the military will not appear at polling places during this year’s midterm elections.
In a letter to Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said there were no plans to deploy federal military personnel or National Guard troops. He also said the military did not plan 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, received on August 28, followed Slotkin’s request for assurances from senior military leaders, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, that the Trump administration would not interfere in the November vote.
I have neither received nor anticipate receiving any unlawful order concerning the role of the Joint Force in the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections.
Millions of Americans are scheduled to vote on November 3 in congressional, gubernatorial and local elections. Democrats have expressed concern that the administration could use troops or other armed federal personnel near polling locations. Those concerns intensified after President Donald Trump said in May that he would “do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections.”
Federal law generally bars the deployment of US troops at polling places or their use to oversee elections. Caine said election administration and security remain the responsibility of state and local officials.
do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections
About this summary
Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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