King Cosponsors Legislation to Protect Polling Stations from Federal Intervention, Armed Troops

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is cosponsoring legislation to protect against the use of federal troops or armed federal agents at polling places. The Protect Our Polls Act would require congressional approval prior to any deployment of armed federal law enforcement or uniformed military personnel at polling stations across the country.

Existing federal law explicitly prohibits the federal government from sending federal troops or law enforcement to polling places with only a minor exception should they be used to repel "armed enemies of the United States." The Protect Our Polls Act aims to close that loophole and create additional barriers to prevent the President from interfering in elections and utilizing law enforcement and the military to intimidate voters.

"Free and fair elections serve as the foundation of American democracy, and its strength rests upon the assurance that elections remain accessible for all Americans," said Senator King. "The Protect Our Polls Act would strengthen protections against tactics designed to intimidate voters at polling stations, ensuring that Americans are confident in their safety when exercising their right to vote. Our democracy remains healthy only when those who constitute it have their voices heard, and this bill will protect their ability to do so."

King is joined on the legislation by Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jackie Rosen (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Alex Padilla (D-CA).

Senator King has long been an outspoken advocate for the protection of democratic freedoms. After President Trump gave a national address threatening increased federal interference with elections, King published an op-ed outlining his concerns surrounding the Trump administration's aims to nationalize elections. Earlier this week, King introduced the Stop Harassment and Intimidation in Elections through Legal Defenses (SHIELD) Our Elections Act, authorizing state attorney generals and individual voters to bring civil actions against those who violate federal laws protecting elections. In 2025, Senator King cosponsored the Defending America's Future Election's Act, which would repeal an Executive Order to review voter registration lists and allow the federal government to exert greater control over state voting processes, requirements likely to disenfranchise millions of eligible American voters if put in place. Two years prior, in 2023, Senator King also introduced the Freedom to Vote Act, aiming to codify national standard for voting rights in law, end gerrymandering on party lines, and eliminate the influence of undisclosed funding in elections.

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