WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 — Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has told a Democratic senator in writing that the U.S. military has no plans to send troops to polling places or to seize election materials during November’s midterm congressional elections. In a letter obtained Monday by The Associated Press and addressed to Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Caine wrote: “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.
Likewise, the Joint Force has no plans to use such personnel to seize ballots, voting machines, or other election-related material.” Caine, the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. military, added: “I have neither received nor anticipate receiving any unlawful order concerning the role of the Joint Force in the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections.” He advises Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump on military matters. Slotkin had asked both Caine and Hegseth to confirm they would not deploy troops to the polls, requesting a response by last Thursday.
Sonja Thrasher, Slotkin’s press secretary, said Hegseth has not replied to the letter. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to an AP email asking for the status of Hegseth’s response, though it previously said it would respond directly to the senator. The assurance lands amid anxiety among Democrats that the administration could interfere in the midterms.
Slotkin told the AP earlier in August that Trump has been laying groundwork to claim the elections were stolen, pointing to his contemplation of using the military to seize voting machines after his 2020 loss, his deployment of the National Guard to cities against Democratic leaders’ wishes, and the deployment of active-duty Marines to Los Angeles during his 2025 immigration crackdown.
Federal law bars armed federal forces from election locations unless “necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.” Were any military element to become involved, it would likely be the National Guard under state control. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles denied in a Vanity Fair interview last year that Trump would use the military to suppress voting in the midterms.
Slotkin pressed Hegseth on the same subject during an April congressional hearing, asking whether he would follow orders to seize ballots; Hegseth called the question a “gotcha hy” — the source text cuts off mid-sentence, leaving his full response unclear. Caine spoke alongside Trump in the Oval Office on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, at a meeting about military families. The question now is whether Hegseth’s office will match Caine’s written commitment before the November vote.
Slotkin’s office has made clear it is still waiting.
