WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, joined Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV),and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) in introducing the Protect Our Polls Act toprotect the integrity of American elections from federal interference by armed uniformed military or federal law enforcement.
“As a Marine, I took an oath to the Constitution, not a president. As did all troops. Using our servicemembers to intimidate Americans at the polls is disgusting, illegal, and exactly the kind of abuse this bill stops cold,” said Senator Gallego.
The Protect our Polls Act makes existing federal law stronger, further restricting the deployment of military forces and armed federal agents to polling places. It closes an existing loophole by requiring Congress to pass a Joint Resolution of Approval before the president can send troops or federal law enforcement to election sites for the only exception to the blanket ban: to repel armed enemies of the United States. The President must also provide Congress with intel, legal justification, and evidence that state or local government cannot handle a threat on their own, at least 48 hours before deploying forces.
“President Trump has been saying the quiet part out loud: he wants to undermine our elections any way he can, and he refuses to rule out sending uniformed military to the polls, or to collect ballots and voting machines,” said Senator Slotkin. “Our legislation prevents President Trump from weaponizing our military and armed federal officers to interfere in our elections. From 2020 until just last week, President Trump has worked to sow doubt in our election results, and I am glad to be joined by Senators from across the country, especially states like Arizona, Georgia, Minnesota and Wisconsin which, along with Michigan, the president has targeted. All states that may very well decide who controls the House and Senate.”
“Our democracy depends on Americans being able to show up to the ballot box and have their voices heard,” said Senator Baldwin. “But that’s all at risk this November as President Trump openly weighs sending in armed federal agents to our schools, churches, fire stations, and other polling locations. President Trump has shown time and again he’s willing to use and abuse the full force of the federal government to intimidate and harm Americans, punish his enemies, and get his way. And that is just what he is trying to do this November because he is afraid accountability is coming for him. We can’t allow President Trump to come between Americans and their constitutional right to vote, and that’s why we are fighting to protect Americans’ access to the ballot box, stop President Trump from surging federal agents to our polling locations, and make sure your voice is heard.”
“Free and fair elections are the foundation of our democracy. The idea that a president would send troops or armed agents to polling places to intimidate voters is un-American and illegal,” said Kelly. “Federal law has protected polling places from military interference since the Civil War for a reason. President Trump has made clear he thinks he can ignore those limits. We’re making sure he can’t.”
“Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy and the freedom to vote is fundamental,” said Senator Klobuchar. “Yet we continue to see unprecedented attacks on our democracy and on voting rights, as well as concerns that federal officers could be deployed to polling locations to intimidate voters. This legislation reiterates that those attempts at voter intimidation are unlawful and protects Americans’ constitutional right to vote.”
“Our elections have been kept safe and reliable by state and local officials during the entire history of our nation. There is absolutely no need for federal troops to be stationed outside of polls, and any such attempt is part of Donald Trump’s efforts to intimidate eligible voters,” said Senator Rosen. “Not only would this action be unlawful, it goes against the political foundation of this country and threatens every American’s right to vote. I’m proud to help introduce this critical legislation to prevent Donald Trump from sending military troops to polling locations to intimidate law-abiding Americans.”
“The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy,” said Senator Padilla. “No American should have to pass a line of federal troops, ICE agents, or armed officers to exercise that right. The Protect Our Polls Act will make sure they never have to.”
“This administration has made clear that they will stop at nothing to prevent the American people from making their voices heard this November,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “The attacks we are seeing on voting rights are a testament to the strength of our voices when we stand up, speak out, and participate in our democracy. We must act now to confront this threat and protect every American’s right to vote. Our democracy is on the line.”
How Trump has undermined elections:
- In the last 6 months, Trump has repeated his claim about “rigged” elections nearly every day, totaling at least 107 times.
- He has attempted to seize ballots in Georgia, Michigan, and Arizona, and sued 30 states for their voter rolls.
- He drafted an executive order in December 2020 to send in the National Guard to seize ballots and voting machines but said this January that he should have signed it.
- He has floated sending law enforcement to the polls since 2020 and said before the 2024 election that the military should be sent to the polls to go after the “enemy within.” 8 political appointees have refused to rule out sending troops or law enforcement to the polls to the press or during hearings, and the President left the door open to do so during midterms on May 12.
- He said Republicans should nationalize the voting in at least 15 states on February 1, then two days later doubled down and said the Federal government should get involved in state elections.
- During the State of the Union, Trump said, “their policy is so bad that the only way they can get elected is to cheat, and we’re going to stop it.” He signed an executive order in March to restrict mail-in-voting, and USPS released proposed rules earlier this month to deny vote-by-mail to any state that refuses to hand over their voter rolls.
- Prior to his second term, from 2016 to 2025, Trump alleged that Democrats were cheating, committing voter fraud, or attempting to rig elections on at least 12 occasions. The very first election Donald Trump ran in, the Iowa Caucuses, he claimed voter fraud that enabled Ted Cruz to win.
Find a one-page explainer of the legislation HERE.