Top US General Assures Lawmakers No Troops Will Be Deployed to Polling Places in November Elections

The chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff has assured an opposition lawmaker that there are no plans to deploy troops to polling places during the upcoming elections on November 3.

“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,” General Dan Caine stated in a letter obtained on Monday by The Associated Press news agency. He further emphasized that the military has no intentions of using such personnel to seize ballots, voting machines, or any related election materials.

General Caine’s letter was a response to Democratic US Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, who had formally asked both Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to confirm that military forces would not be sent to polling stations. Caine also noted in his correspondence that he has neither received nor anticipates receiving any unlawful orders regarding the Joint Force's role in the November 2026 midterm elections.

Concerns among Democrats regarding potential federal interference in the midterms have mounted following previous deployments of federal agents to Democratic-led states by President Donald Trump. Senator Slotkin pointed to prior actions, including the consideration of utilizing the military to seize voting machines after the 2020 election against President Joe Biden, as well as National Guard and active-duty Marine deployments during immigration crackdowns.

Under federal law, deploying armed federal forces to election locations is strictly prohibited unless deemed necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States. Senator Slotkin praised the nonpartisan tradition of the military, calling senior defense leaders the final failsafe for American democracy.

While White House chief of staff Susie Wiles previously denied that President Trump intends to use the military for voter suppression, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not yet responded to Senator Slotkin's inquiries.