Controversy
Status:Open
Will Any Branch of the US Armed Forces or Department of Homeland Security be Assigned on-the-Ground Election Security Duties for the 2026 US Midterm Elections?
UNLIKELYLIKELY
Claims
Mike LaChanceIn case you haven’t noticed, Democrats are absolutely terrified that they are not going to win the 2026 midterms.Dec 27, 2025
Steve Simon“We do not have a sense of whether we can rely on CISA for these services as we approach a big election year in 2026.”Nov 23, 2025
Gavin Newsom“That’s a preview for the National Guard of things to come. Don’t think for a second now that ICE and Border Patrol won’t be showing up at a voting booth or polling places this November.”Sep 21, 2025
Chioma Chukwu-Smith“The presence of law enforcement or military personnel at polling places risks chilling voter participation and undermining public confidence in the integrity of our elections —– perhaps that is what President Trump is counting on.”Oct 22, 2025
Paul Blumenthal"Using the military or any other federal law enforcement agency to interfere with elections is currently illegal under numerous federal laws. However, the Trump administration has been laying the groundwork for getting around that."Sep 21, 2025
Bob Bauer"State and local election officials will likely now also face pressure to support in 2026 actions like the seizure of voting machines he could not achieve 6 years ago."Aug 21, 2025
American Oversight"Deploying military personnel or immigration enforcement officials to polling places would not be Trump’s first use of federal power to influence the 2026 midterms."Oct 22, 2025
Elizabeth Goitein“The principles articulated in the decisions coming out of California would serve as important checks on the president’s ability to use the military around elections.”Sep 21, 2025
J.B. Pritzker“He’d like to stop the elections in 2026 or, frankly, take control of those elections. He’ll just claim that there’s some problem with an election, and then he’s got troops on the ground that can take control if, in fact, he’s allowed to do this.”Sep 21, 2025
Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance“The bottom line: Trump will not be able to deploy federal or federalized troops at polling places, whether in an effort to intimidate voters or to use them to seize voting machines or for other purposes.”Sep 03, 2025
Cleta MitchellTrump would “exercise some emergency powers to protect the federal elections going forward.”Sep 08, 2025
Bob Bauer"The executive order lays fresh groundwork for an attack on the outcome of elections that involves claims of compromised or errant voting machinery."Apr 23, 2025
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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 8.0.0
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 8.0.0