Senator seeks Pentagon assurance that troops won't be deployed to 2026 polls amid election rumors

Senator Elissa Slotkin wrote to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asking for written confirmation that the United States military would not be deployed to polling locations or tasked with seizing voting equipment during the 2026 midterm elections. The Pentagon responded, in a letter first and later referenced by Military.com, that the Joint Force has no plans to place federal troops, National Guard members, or any personnel at voting sites, nor to confiscate ballots or machines, and that no unlawful orders have been received.

Slotkin framed the inquiry as part of a "broader unease among Democrats" over President Donald Trump's alleged preparations to allege a stolen election, though the letter contains no specific evidence of such plans. The piece also notes a separate dispute in which Governor Abigail Spanberger and Senator Alex Padilla warned that a Trump executive order on mail-in ballots would impede military voters, a claim that was quickly corrected after it was shown that those ballots are exempt under the Postal Service’s new rules. The article criticizes media coverage of these statements, suggesting they fuel partisan tension ahead of the elections.