The Democratic National Committee (DNC) filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to compel the Trump administration to disclose plans for deploying armed federal agents or military personnel at polling places during the 2026 elections. The lawsuit, lodged in Washington D. C. federal court, alleges the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense Department violated the Freedom of Information Act by failing to respond to 11 requests submitted in October.

This legal action stems from persistent concerns among Democrats and voting rights groups that President Trump might disregard a federal law prohibiting armed military or federal agents from being present at polling sites during elections. Fears were fueled by Trump's public statements about 'nationalizing' elections and his regret over not seizing voting machines in 2020, along with the January FBI raid on a Georgia election warehouse and ICE shootings in Minneapolis. While administration officials have publicly denied formal plans for ICE agents at polls, they have stopped short of ruling out armed involvement entirely.

The DNC lawsuit seeks concrete confirmation that no deployment plans exist or discussions are underway.