What Voters Should Know About Election Security for the 2026 Midterms

Americans will head to polling sites on Tuesday after a year in which President Trump has used the levers of the federal government to bolster unsubstantiated claims of election fraud.

Many election officials and Democrats have said they fear that the president’s attacks on the integrity of elections could lead to tensions as people vote, and to baseless challenges of the outcome. Local and state officials have even incorporated planning for potential federal intervention into their preparations for Election Day.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether any worst-case scenarios will play out. And state and local authorities have emphasized that they are well prepared to help run a fair and safe election.

“The election officials in this country, the law enforcement in this country and other stakeholders are doing everything they possibly can to make sure that Election Day goes off without a hitch,” said Tina Barton, the co-chairwoman of the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, an organization that has helped conduct election training sessions around the country. “Any incident that does happen is quickly mitigated because they already have a game plan for it.”

Here’s what voters should know:

Could the military or federal agents show up at polling sites?

Mr. Trump has notably refused to rule out invoking the Insurrection Act, in connection with the election. The 1807 law gives the president broad authority, under some conditions, to use the military to quell widespread domestic unrest. The extreme move has been encouraged by some of the president’s outside supporters.

In late August, however, the president’s top military adviser, Gen. Dan Caine, said there were no plans for the armed forces to deploy troops in relation to the elections. “I have neither received nor anticipate receiving any unlawful order concerning the role of the Joint Force in the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections,” he wrote in a letter to a Democratic senator.