No plans to deploy military to midterm polls, Gen. Caine tells Slotkin
One of the nation’s leading military officials said the Trump administration is not deploying soldiers to monitor midterm elections in November.
TL;DR
- The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, stated there are no plans to deploy soldiers to monitor the November midterm elections.
- Caine's letter to Senator Elissa Slotkin clarified that the Joint Force will not send federal military personnel or federalized National Guard members to polling places.
- The military also has no plans to use such personnel to seize ballots, voting machines, or other election-related materials.
- This assurance aims to quell concerns from Democrats about potential White House actions to monitor elections.
- Previous statements from the Department of Homeland Security and White House chief of staff also indicated no plans for ICE or military involvement at polling locations.
- Discussions about military or ICE deployment stemmed partly from Steve Bannon's suggestions and President Trump's comments about "nationalizing" elections in "corrupt" areas.
- President Trump has expressed concerns about election integrity, citing alleged rigging in 2020 and advocating for election legislation like the SAVE America Act.
- Trump has also raised concerns about foreign interference in U.S. election systems, including alleged data compromises by China.