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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Shrai Popat and agencies

US military has no plans to send troops to midterm polling sites, Dan Caine says

Dan Caine Elissa Slotkin Donald Trump United States Pete Hegseth Mark Milley
man in blue suit with military pins points while speaking at a podium marked 'department of war'
Gen Dan Caine speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on 5 May in Arlington, Virginia. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The highest‑ranking US military officer says there are no plans to deploy troops to polling places during the November midterm elections – responding to Senator Elissa Slotkin’s request for information amid concerns about whether the Trump administration might send service members to election sites.

In a letter obtained by the Guardian, first reported by the Associated Press, Gen Dan Caine, chair of the joint chiefs of staff, told Slotkin “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”. He added that there were also “no plans to use such personnel to seize ballots, voting machines, or other election‑related material”.

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