Overview
- Gen. Dan Caine told Sen. Elissa Slotkin in a letter made public Aug. 31 that the Joint Force has no plans to send federal troops or federalized National Guard members to polling places or to seize ballots or voting machines.
- Caine wrote that he has "neither received nor anticipate receiving any unlawful order" about the military’s role in the November 2026 midterms, framing the pledge as both a current policy and a legal assurance.
- Sen. Slotkin had sought matching written commitments from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had not provided a comparable reply as of the reporting, leaving the defense secretary’s position unresolved.
- Federal law and long‑standing norms, including the Posse Comitatus restrictions and a statute barring armed forces at vote sites except to repel armed threats, are central to the military’s current posture and legal limits on any deployment.
- Democrats are pursuing the Protect Our Polls Act and rapid legal and election‑admin contingency plans to deter federal interference and to respond quickly if federal agents or troops appear near polling sites.