Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin is pressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for a commitment that federal troops will not be deployed to polling places during the November 2026 midterm elections.
In letters sent Tuesday, Slotkin asked the defense leaders to confirm that the Department of Defense would not send federal troops to polling stations or seize election materials. The Pentagon said it would respond directly to the senator, while the Joint Chiefs had not immediately commented.
Slotkin said her concerns stem from what she described as signals that the Trump administration could challenge the legitimacy of the midterm results. She pointed to President Donald Trump’s past consideration of military involvement in election disputes, as well as his administration’s use of the National Guard and active-duty troops in other domestic situations.
The senator previously questioned Hegseth during an April congressional hearing about whether he would follow an order to seize ballots. Hegseth called the scenario a hypothetical but said he would not carry out an illegal order.
Federal law places significant restrictions on the use of armed federal forces at election sites, with limited exceptions involving threats such as armed enemies of the United States. Any National Guard involvement would generally depend on whether troops were operating under state authority.
The debate has renewed attention on the longstanding principle that the U.S. military should remain politically neutral. In 2020, then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley similarly emphasized that election disputes should be resolved through the courts and Congress rather than by the military.
With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, the issue is likely to remain part of the broader debate over election security, military neutrality and the limits of presidential authority.
Swifteradio.com