Sponsor
Seth Moulton
Representative · D-MA
Representative · D-MA
The bill protects voters' rights and preserves local control by barring federal deployments at election sites through 2026, but that choice reduces federal flexibility to respond to threats and creates definitional and legal uncertainties about the law's scope.
Voters: Federal law enforcement or military are barred from being deployed to polling places through Dec 31, 2026, reducing the risk of voter intimidation at polling sites.
Local and state election officials: Preserves local control over election administration by preventing federal deployments to election sites without new Congressional authorization.
State and local governments: Creates a clear, consistent federal legal definition of "election," reducing ambiguity about which events are covered under the Act.
Voters and local/state election officials: Limits federal ability to deploy trained federal or military personnel to respond quickly to credible threats or emergencies at polling places, potentially leaving sites more vulnerable or delaying protective assistance.
State and local governments: Adopting the FECA definition of "election" could unintentionally expand or narrow which events and locations are covered by the Act compared with state or other federal definitions, creating gaps or mismatches in protection and authority.
Federal employees and law enforcement: The bill may create legal ambiguity over what constitutes "acting under color of law" and which sites qualify as covered election locations, increasing the risk of litigation and operational uncertainty for officials.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits federal funds for federal law enforcement, intelligence, or military presence at domestic election sites from enactment through Dec 31, 2026, absent specific Congressional authorization.
Official title: To prohibit the use of funds to order Federal law enforcement or military personnel to polling places or other domestic election locations, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 20, 2026 by Seth Moulton · Last progress February 20, 2026
Prohibits use of federal funds to order, bring, or keep federal law enforcement, intelligence, or military personnel at polling places, election offices, vote counting/certification locations, or other election sites from enactment through December 31, 2026, unless Congress specifically authorizes such a presence. Adopts the Federal Election Campaign Act definition of “election” for use in the Act and confirms the prohibition does not apply to private individuals exercising their right to vote under state law.