David Becker, a voting rights advocate and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, dismissed concerns at a press briefing on Friday about federal forces like ICE or military personnel being deployed to polling places during elections. He emphasized that such deployments would be illegal under 18 U.S.C. 592 and courts would block them immediately if attempted. Becker also noted that widespread early voting and mail-in voting options make it difficult to target specific voters for intimidation, adding that efforts to suppress votes could backfire on the Republican Party since many of its supporters are expected to vote in person on Election Day.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
At a press briefing on Friday, David Becker, founder and director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, dismissed fears that ICE or federal troops might be deployed to polling places during the election. Though neither President Trump nor his officials have explicitly threatened such actions, concerns arose following comments by DHS chief Markwayne Mullin suggesting federal officers could be dispatched if there was a threat or they were serving warrants. Despite these concerns, Becker emphasized that this scenario is highly unlikely due to strong protections in place across all 50 states, including early voting options in 47 states, which make it difficult for any specific voter intimidation tactics to succeed. Democratic officials and cities like Denver have been vocal about their opposition, with Denver even suing the administration to prevent such deployments. Becker also noted that legal challenges would likely arise if ICE or federal troops were indeed deployed on Election Day.
Written for “Voting Rights Enforcement” on 2026-09-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
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stored, so you can find it in the original.
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ICE and troops will not be at the polls, period.
left denies possibility of ICE presence at polling places
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Democrats are disproportionately taking advantage of those now because the president has so delegitimized [mail voting], falsely, that the Election Day in-person voting is now disproportionately Republican.
left criticizes false claims about mail voting and suggests political motives
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It is very hard to target particular voters for intimidation, thanks to what the states, both red and blue, have done with regard to “convenience” voting: 47 states offer early in-person voting of some sort. Three-fourths of the states offer mail voting without an excuse.
left highlights state actions that facilitate voting
Leaning score -0.50 for article 8242 (medium confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-12
At a press briefing on Friday, David Becker, a longtime voting rights advocate and the founder and director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, a “fiercly nonpartisan” nonprofit, threw a bucket of ice water on fears that the Trump administration might send federal troops or ICE agents to polling places.
uncertain
administration → throw → places
The administration hasn’t explicitly threatened such a thing, although neither Trump nor his officials, including former personal lawyer and DOJ chief Todd Blanche, have ruled it out.
asserted
Trump → threaten → it
DHS chief Markwayne Mullin recently said federal officers could be deployed to polling places if there was “a threat” or they were “serving a warrant,” though he also said DHS had no plans for such a thing.
uncertain
DHS → say → thing
Democratic officials, meanwhile, have made a stink about it and the City of Denver is sufficiently freaked out that it has sued the administration to stop any such deployment.
asserted
it → make → deployment
A reporter at the briefing asked Becker whether he knows of any plans afoot, and what might happen in the courts if something were to go down on Election Day?
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something → ask → Day
Here’s Becker’s response in full, with just a few light edits:
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response → ’ → edits
“I want to be very clear: This is not going to happen.
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This → want → ?
One, it is completely and obviously illegal—18 U.S.C. 592 blocks this.
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U.S.C. → block → this
Jurisdictions are preparing for it.
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Jurisdictions → prepare → it
They won’t need to use this, but they will go.
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they → need → this
They will get it blocked.
asserted
it → get → ?
And I think the administration is, and probably should be, worried that there might be political backlash if it occurred.
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it → think → ?
But even more importantly, it is very hard to target particular voters for intimidation, thanks to what the states, both red and blue, have done with regard to “convenience” voting: 47 states offer early in-person voting of some sort.
asserted
states → target → sort
Three-fourths of the states offer mail voting without an excuse.
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fourths → offer → excuse
Democrats are disproportionately taking advantage of those now because the president has so delegitimized [mail voting], falsely, that the Election Day in-person voting is now disproportionately Republican.
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voting → take → person
So, if you try to deploy troops in order to suppress voters, the most likely time people are voting would be Election Day, and you might inadvertently, if you’re a Republican president, suppress your own voters.
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you → try → voters
This is not going to happen.
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This → go → ?
I can’t say this strongly enough.
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I → say → this
Now, it may very well be that there are people within the administration, and perhaps even the president himself, who would desperately love voters to be fearful that it might happen, which is why I think you see them dancing around this issue.
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them → be → issue
We saw this with with Attorney General Blanche during his confirmation hearings.
asserted
We → see → hearings
I think you know the chairman of the Joint Chiefs issued a statement that was very clear on this: that there will be no troops.
asserted
that → think → this
It is illegal to put troops at the polls.
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It → put → polls
That it will not happen.
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it → happen → ?
I understand, given the administration’s seemingly intentional vagueness on this, litigants might want to get the administration on the record to get clear indications before court that this is not going to happen.
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this → understand → court
But regardless of the status of this lawsuit, regardless of what you what what we might hear from the administration, it is not going to happen.”
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it → hear → administration
You’re welcome.
asserted
You → ’re → ?
