In a letter addressed to Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine affirmed that the United States military has no plans to place service members at polling locations during the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections.
“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,” Caine wrote, adding that the force will not be used to seize ballots, voting machines, or any other election‑related material. He also stated, “I have neither received nor anticipate receiving any unlawful order concerning the role of the Joint Force in the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections.”
Context of Democratic concerns
Senator Slotkin raised the issue after expressing anxiety that the Trump administration might attempt to influence the vote. She cited past statements by President Trump suggesting the 2020 election was stolen and noted his deployment of federal agents and National Guard units in Democratic‑led states, sometimes against local officials’ wishes. In 2025, the president also sent active‑duty Marines to Los Angeles as part of an immigration enforcement operation.
Federal law restricts the use of armed federal forces at election sites to situations where it is “necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.” Any involvement of the National Guard would typically fall under state control, not federal command.
Administration response
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles previously denied in a Vanity Fair interview that President Trump would use the military to suppress voting in the midterms. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not yet responded to Senator Slotkin’s request for written confirmation, and the Pentagon did not immediately comment on the status of that reply.
During an April congressional hearing, Senator Slotkin asked Secretary Hegseth whether he would follow orders to seize ballots. Hegseth described the question as a “gotcha hypothetical” and reiterated that he has never been ordered to do anything illegal and would not comply with such an order.
Historical precedent
The issue is not new. In 2020, then‑Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley responded to a similar inquiry from Slotkin, then a congresswoman, emphasizing the principle of an apolitical U.S. military. Milley wrote that disputes over elections are to be resolved by courts and Congress, not by the armed forces.
Gen. Caine’s letter seeks to reassure the American public and elected officials that the military will remain strictly nonpartisan and will not interfere with the democratic process. The statement aligns with longstanding Department of Defense policy that the armed forces stay out of domestic political contests.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
