1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

Support Protect Our Polls Act   I'm writing to ask you to support the Protect Our Polls Act, introduced June 18, 2026 by Senator Slotkin (D-MI) with seven Senate cosponsors.   Federal law has long barred armed military or federal agents from polling places, with a single narrow exception to repel "armed enemies of the United States." This bill would require Congress to approve invoking that exception, with 48 hours' notice, intelligence justification, and proof that state or local authorities can't handle the threat themselves.  The bill also separately prohibits military personnel and federal agencies from accessing election records preserved under federal law — directly addressing the seizure of ballots, voting machines, and tabulator tapes.   This isn't a hypothetical concern. President Trump has repeated unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 election was "rigged," said in February that "Republicans ought to nationalize the voting," and has declined to rule out sending the National Guard or ICE to polling sites this November. When Senator Slotkin asked Defense Secretary Hegseth directly whether he would refuse an illegal order to seize ballots or voting machines at the polls, Hegseth called the question a "gotcha hypothetical" rather than answering it.   A similar provision Senator Slotkin offered during this month's Senate Armed Services Committee markup was blocked on a party-line vote. Whatever side of the aisle you're on, the basic principle here — that no president should be able to unilaterally put armed federal agents at polling places without Congress weighing in — shouldn't be partisan.    Don’t wait to support what this measure is asking for until the national guard and ICE are at our polling places intimidating your constituents; I'm asking you to support this bill now, before its too late.