Top US general says no plans to send troops to polls for November elections

What the report says

The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, has told a Democratic senator that the military has no plans to send federal troops or federalized National Guard members to polling places during the November 2026 elections. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press and reported by Al Jazeera, Caine also said the Joint Force does not plan to seize ballots, voting machines or other election materials. The remarks were made in response to concerns from Democrats that the Trump administration could try to use the military in ways that affect voting.

Al Jazeera reported that the letter was addressed to Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, who had asked Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to confirm that troops would not be deployed to the polls. Caine said he had not received, and did not expect to receive, any unlawful order about the military’s role in the election.

The issue comes amid heightened concern among Democrats after Trump’s use of federal forces in some Democratic-led areas and his past criticism of election results. Al Jazeera noted that federal law limits military involvement at election sites, with any domestic role more likely to involve National Guard units under state control. Slotkin has argued that senior defense leaders are a key safeguard for democratic processes.