Arizona’s Gallego, Kelly back bill to protect elections from federal or military interference

Arizona U.S. Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly are among a group of swing state Democrats supporting the Protect Our Polls Act, a new bill focused on guarding elections from federal interference.

The Protect Our Polls Act, introduced Thursday, targets the potential interference by federal agents or the military at polling sites. Bill supporters reference back to President Donald Trump attempting to take and confiscate voting machines from swing voting states like Michigan, as he is still disputing the results of the 2020 presidential election.

“On and on and on, every day, Donald Trump is proving that he has a plan, and given the opportunity, he will try to use whatever level of government, whether it’s military or other police forces, in order for him to stay in power and to not be held accountable by the voters,” Gallego said during a press conference Thursday. “So this bill is important. It’s important for our democracy. And it’s also important for the safety of our military members, and I am very proud to support it.”

Gallego added that using military at polls is partisan and anti-democratic.

The bill stands on the fact that it is illegal for uniformed military to interfere with polling activities, primarily regarding the seizure of ballots or voting machines. This pertains to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, National Guard and active-duty troops.

The proposal would reinforce this existing law and require Congress to pass a joint resolution of approval before a president can send troops to polling sites. However, this congressional approval would only be given to repel U.S. enemies, according to a press release.

Additionally, the president would have to justify to Congress why state or local military cannot handle the potential threat. This would have to be done a minimum of 48 hours in advance of deployment.

“Free and fair elections are the foundation of our democracy. The idea that a president would send troops or armed agents to polling places to intimidate voters is un-American and illegal,” Kelly said in the press release. “Federal law has protected polling places from military interference since the Civil War for a reason. President Trump has made clear he thinks he can ignore those limits. We’re making sure he can’t.”

Gallego and Kelly are joined by U.S. Sens. Elissa Slotkin (Michigan), Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin), Alex Padilla (California), Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota), Jacky Rosen (Nevada) and Raphael Warnock (Georgia) in supporting the Protect Our Polls Act.

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