State officials in Washington activated roughly 100 unarmed National Guard members in plain clothes for limited “Election Neighborhood Watch” monitoring of ballot drop boxes in seven counties ahead of the November 3, 2026 midterms, with the mission running through November 10. Federal military leaders, including Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, repeatedly stated there were no plans to deploy active-duty troops or federalized Guard personnel to polling sites or to handle ballots or voting equipment. Other states reported Guard support limited to cybersecurity or response to isolated threats such as suspicious mailings, without site-level presence. Legal restrictions under federal statutes and the Posse Comitatus Act continue to shape the scope of any potential deployments, while scheduled post-election activities such as canvassing and certification remain under state and local control.