Washington DC - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine sent a letter to Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin assuring her the military would not send troops to polling booths during the November midterm elections.

Caine's message came in response to a letter sent by Slotkin seeking assurances from military leaders that the Pentagon would not be used to conduct electoral interference.

Her concerns have intensified as President Donald Trump refuses to rule out National Guard or US Immigration and Customs Enforcement deployments to voting locations.

"Any suggestion that ICE is going to be present at polling places is simply disinformation," said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Election Integrity Heather Honey in February. "There will be no ICE presence at polling locations."

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Caine sought to similarly ease concerns over electoral interference in his letter to Slotkin, which was obtained and seen by Reuters. He insisted election administration and security will remain the responsibility of state and local officials.

"I have neither received nor anticipate receiving any unlawful order ​concerning the role of the Joint Force in the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections," Caine wrote in the letter, which was received by Slotkin on August 28.

He stressed that no deployment was planned and the military would not seize ballots or any other election materials. US troops are prohibited from such deployments.

Trump continues to make baseless claims that he won the 2020 presidential election and repeatedly warn about electoral fraud. Democrats are concerned that if he loses control of Congress in November, he might not accept the result.

"President Trump keeps pushing false claims of election fraud for a reason," Slotkin wrote on X in August. "If his party loses in 2026, he wants people to blame a rigged election, not his failure to bring down costs for American families."