Overview
- Sen. Elissa Slotkin and seven Democratic senators introduced the Protect Our Polls Act, which they unveiled on Thursday to bar presidents from sending uniformed military or armed federal law enforcement to polling places without new checks.
- The measure would require the White House to give Congress at least 48 hours' notice with intelligence, legal justification and evidence that state or local officials cannot handle the threat before any deployment.
- Sponsors say the bill closes a perceived loophole in current law that allows force to be used "to repel armed enemies of the United States," a clause they fear could be invoked to justify placing troops at polls.
- The White House pushed back by pointing to its own election proposals, and Democrats acknowledge the bill is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Congress but say its introduction highlights ongoing concern over presidential comments about sending the National Guard or federal agents to elections.
- The proposal arrives against a backdrop of DOJ requests for voter data and FBI searches earlier this year, and backers say the law would also bar military access to election materials to prevent seizures of ballots or voting equipment.