Is the National Guard being sent to polling places and ballot drop boxes in all 50 states? Not confirmed.
The rumor is Unverified
“National Guard units in all 50 states are being mobilized to watch ballot drop boxes and polling places for the midterms.”
The fact
No state or federal office has confirmed a 50-state National Guard mobilization for the election.
The claim traces to a single Oct. 28 report by independent journalist Ken Klippenstein citing unnamed military sources; what is on the record are state missions under governors, such as unarmed, plainclothes Guard members watching drop boxes in five Washington counties that asked for them, Guard cyber teams that Iowa and Colorado have used for years, and Guard hazmat teams that responded to powder letters at election offices in Alabama and Oklahoma. In August, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs wrote to Sen. Elissa Slotkin that the military has no plans to send federal troops or federalized Guard members to polling places, and federal law makes it a crime to send troops or armed federal agents to the polls. If anyone in uniform tries to stop you from voting, keep voting and call 866-OUR-VOTE.
How this story developed
- Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein reports, citing unnamed military sources, that Guard units in all 50 states are mobilizing for the election. No state, the Pentagon or the National Guard Bureau has confirmed it.
- Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson offers counties unarmed, plainclothes Guard members to watch drop boxes. Clark, King, Pierce, Thurston and Snohomish accept, with Guard reporting to county auditors. Spokane declines.
- Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine writes Sen. Elissa Slotkin that the military has no plans to send federal troops or federalized Guard members to polling places or to seize ballots or voting machines.