AP: "US military has no plans to send troops to the polls in November, top general says" . . .
US military has no plans to send troops to the polls in November, top general says
By BEN FINLEY
Updated 1:19 PM EDT, August 31, 2026
WASHINGTON (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.”
Anxiety among Democrats that the Trump administration could try to meddle in the midterm elections has grown, particularly after the president deployed federal agents in Democratic-led states over the objections of local leaders.
Link: https://apnews.com/article/caine-hegseth-trump-military-polling-voting-elections-98a06a37abf19613a0922a7e9359e999?utm_source=newsshowcase&utm_medium=gnews&utm_campaign=CDAQ7Za5lZrSyu-GARjvgu7_88fP6JgBKg8IACoHCAowhO7OATDh9Cg&utm_content=rundown
By BEN FINLEY
Updated 1:19 PM EDT, August 31, 2026
WASHINGTON (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.”
Anxiety among Democrats that the Trump administration could try to meddle in the midterm elections has grown, particularly after the president deployed federal agents in Democratic-led states over the objections of local leaders.
Link: https://apnews.com/article/caine-hegseth-trump-military-polling-voting-elections-98a06a37abf19613a0922a7e9359e999?utm_source=newsshowcase&utm_medium=gnews&utm_campaign=CDAQ7Za5lZrSyu-GARjvgu7_88fP6JgBKg8IACoHCAowhO7OATDh9Cg&utm_content=rundown
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- AP: "US military has no plans to send troops to the polls in November, top general says" . . .