WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Associated Press reported that General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has confirmed in writing that the U.S. military has no plans to deploy federal troops or federalized National Guard members to polling places during the November 2026 midterm elections, and no plans to seize ballots, voting machines, or other election-related materials. In his response, Caine noted that “election administration and security remain the fundamental responsibility of state and local officials.”
From the AP:
- The highest-ranking officer in the U.S. military says there are no plans to send troops to polling places during November’s midterm congressional elections, addressing concerns among Democrats that the Trump administration could use the military to interfere with the vote.
- Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the statement in a letter to Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who recently asked Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to confirm they won’t send troops to the polls.
- “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 said in the letter to Slotkin, which was obtained Monday by The Associated Press. “Likewise, the Joint Force has no plans to use such personnel to seize ballots, voting machines, or other election-related material.”
- Caine, who advises Hegseth and President Donald Trump on military matters, also wrote: “I have neither received nor anticipate receiving any unlawful order concerning the role of the Joint Force in the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections.”
- Slotkin told the AP earlier in August that Trump has been laying the groundwork to claim the elections were stolen. She noted that Trump contemplated using the military to seize voting machines after his loss in 2020 and has deployed the National Guard to cities against the wishes of Democratic leaders. He also deployed active duty Marines to Los Angeles during his immigration crackdown in 2025.
This letter comes in response to U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who sent letters to General of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Caine and Secretary of Defense Hegseth asking for a written response and commitment to keep the U.S. military out of the midterm elections. In previous letters sent by Slotkin, General Mark Milley, General CQ Brown, Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Secretary Mark Esper, were each able to provide a response and confirm they would follow the law and our constitution—which is clear about military interference in our elections.
There has been no response from Secretary Hegseth despite Slotkin’s request for a reply by last Friday and the precedent set by Hegseth’s predecessors.
Read the AP story here.
Read the response from Caine here.
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