The rumor is spreading.
Last week, while heading to China for a state visit with a departing Donald Trump at the helm, someone asked him about deploying National Guard troops or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE agents) to polling sites. November’s midterms loom large.
His answer was blunt. “I would do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections.”
Confusing statements. Contradictory orders. This isn’t new for his administration. It has a chilling effect anyway.
WIRED talked to more than a dozen election officials. Some are from red states, others from blue ones. The consensus leans toward worry. Most expect major complications. They feel attacked, part of a broader assault on democracy from Washington.
At least one director is actively planning for arrest.
Six months out from the midterms. These officials are scrambling now. Reassuring voters is top priority. They must replace federal resources the Trump team just erased. Then comes the hardest part. Planning for the unimaginable.
“I’ve been doing this for 21… this is the first time we’ve had to prepare for… or respond to… questions about federal interference. It’s a new level entirely.”
That’s a director in a western state, speaking on background. Fear keeps the name hidden.
The Fear Is Real
It started with mass ICE deployments. Cities like Chicago and Minneapolis became ground zero for these raids. Then election workers got nervous. Why not the polls?
Prominent conservatives amplified the signal. Steve Bannon told podcast listeners in early February that ICE would “surround the polls.” He claimed no more stolen elections. This narrative relies on a baseless conspiracy. Noncitizens voting en masse simply isn’t happening. It accounts for a tiny fraction of ballots cast.
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, refused to deny the scenario two days later. No formal plans confirmed, but she couldn’t rule out ICE showing up.
DHS officials later said they wouldn’t send agents to polls. That assurance vanished quickly. On March 18, Homeland Security nominee Markwayne Mullin dismissed concerns during his hearing.
He doesn’t understand why people mind. Illegals shouldn’t be voting, after all.
Todd Blanche, then-acting attorney general, doubled down at CPAC a week later. He echoed the same conspiracy theory. Why object to ICE officers at voting sites? Illegal immigrants can’t vote.
It doesn’t make sense, Blanche argued.
Abigail Jackson, speaking for the White House later, cited securing elections as a priority. Ensuring only citizens vote remains key. A DHS spokesperson pointed to Mullin. Elections are for Americans.
Constitutional Limits
Here’s the legal reality.
The Constitution hands elections to the states. Not Washington. Calling for “nationalization” ignores federal law. Deploying ICE, the Guard, or other armed federal agents to voting sites is illegal. Plain and simple.
Messaging obscures this truth, however. Uncertainty grows among officials and voters alike.
“I tell people we have assurances,” an eastern election director says, refusing to be named. “But do they believe me? I don’t know.”
Retaliation looms. Fear of losing federal funding silences names.
In Maine, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows tried to get promises in writing. A March letter asked DHS to confirm ICE would stay away. Eight other secretaries of state signed on.
Silence follows. No satisfactory reply arrived months later.
Bellows is unfazed by the ghosting. Donald Trump doesn’t get to invade polling places. Seizing ballots violates federal law. States remain in charge.
Preparing For Chaos
Maine faces a DOJ lawsuit too. The government sued over unredacted voter roll access in September, alleging non-compliance with the National Voter Registration Act. A motion to dismiss is pending.
Bellows and peers prepare for unprecedented threats. Past scenarios included natural disasters or bomb threats. Power outages happened.
Federal interference feels entirely different.
“We do tabletop exercises now. That includes scenarios where I get arrested.”
Jared DeMarinis runs elections in Maryland. He assumes any eventuality must be covered.
Resources are disappearing too. March 2025 brought harsh orders. CISA stopped most election security work. Regional security advisers—crucial links between levels of government—were removed entirely.
Funding for the Election Infrastructure ISAC got cut. That hub shared critical info between federal and state teams.
Now, officials patch together their own networks. Zoom calls replace structured briefings. Messaging apps carry the weight.
Still, they stand firm. WIRED interviewed several directors across the political spectrum. One belief remains consistent.
Safe, secure elections will happen.
“Assume Trump will do anything to win. I am confident most Americans will see through the tactics… and it won’t work.”
Bellows views this as the desperate attempt of a “biggest loser.”
The work continues. The ballots wait.
