Letter from chair of joint chiefs of staff addresses concerns over Trump officials using military to interfere with vote

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 are also “no plans to use such personnel to seize ballots, voting machines, or other election‑related material”.