Resolution criteria

• Resolves YES if, between the start of in‑person early voting and the close of polls on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, any U.S. state or territory officially deploys National Guard personnel to be physically present at one or more polling places where voters cast ballots (including early‑vote centers) to assist or provide security (e.g., setup, crowd/traffic control, administrative help, visible security), whether in uniform or civilian clothes. Acceptable proof: an official announcement from a state National Guard/governor/secretary of state, a National Guard Bureau news post, or two independent reputable news reports citing officials. Examples of acceptable source hubs for verification: National Guard Bureau newsroom, state Guard newsrooms, and state election officials’ sites. (nationalguard.mil)

• Resolves NO if no such physical deployment at polling places is documented. Cybersecurity-only support (remote or at operations centers), guarding non‑polling facilities, use of Guard buildings as polling sites without Guard members on duty at the polls, or post‑election presence at counting centers that are not open polling places do not count. (nationalguard.mil, politico.com, defenseone.com)

Background

• The 2026 U.S. midterm general election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026. (usvotefoundation.org, en.wikipedia.org)

• National Guard members have previously been used at polling places in limited roles (e.g., Kentucky 2020 for administrative/logistics support), while many states have more recently used Guard units for election cybersecurity support away from polling locations (e.g., 2022). (armytimes.com, nationalguard.mil, defenseone.com)

• Federal law restricts federal troops at polls (18 U.S.C. §592); state‑controlled Guard activations for permissible support have occurred under state authority. (law.cornell.edu, governing.com)

Considerations

• Distinguish “physical presence at polling places” (counts) from cybersecurity or infrastructure protection elsewhere (does not count). Prior cycles saw substantial cyber support but little on‑site polling‑place presence. (nationalguard.mil, military.com)

• Early voting sites qualify as polling places; ballot‑counting centers after polls close do not, unless they are also open polling places at the time. Reference the statutory constraint on troops at polls when assessing edge cases. (law.cornell.edu)