Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently made a controversial statement regarding troop deployments to polling locations during the 2024 elections. During his testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, he claimed that under President Biden, troops were deployed to polling places in 15 states. However, this assertion has been challenged as inaccurate.
Hegseth’s Claims Under Scrutiny
Hegseth’s claims emerged during a discussion with Democratic Rep. Jill Tokuda, who highlighted that deploying troops to polling places would violate federal law, unless it was necessary to repel armed threats. Hegseth insisted that his statement was correct, repeating that troops were deployed under Biden’s administration.
Responses from State Guards
In response to inquiries from CNN, the National Guard units in the 13 states that responded denied any deployment of troops to polling locations during the 2024 election. Here are some highlights from their responses:
- Iowa: The Iowa National Guard stated that they provided cybersecurity support from their emergency operations center, but never sent personnel to polling places.
- Arizona: Arizona National Guard confirmed that they did not deploy troops to polling locations, focusing on cybersecurity measures instead.
- Delaware: Spokesperson Jonah Anderson noted that 15 personnel provided cybersecurity support but were not present at polling places.
- Texas: The Texas National Guard indicated that their troops were on standby at military installations and were not stationed at any polling sites.
- Others: States such as Illinois, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina reported similar situations where their guards assisted with cybersecurity, not direct polling support.
Additional Context and Clarifications
Hegseth’s statements were not only contested by state officials but also by Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin during a subsequent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Hegseth continued to assert that troops were deployed in 2024, despite the evidence contradicting this claim. Critics have highlighted that the deployment of National Guard troops to polling locations primarily occurred during the 2020 election under the Trump administration, mainly to address pandemic-related interruptions.
The absence of National Guard personnel at polling sites during the 2024 elections and the reliance on cybersecurity support highlight important distinctions in how elections were handled under different administrations. As such, Hegseth’s repeated assertions about troop deployments appear to lack factual accuracy, which has raised concerns among lawmakers and citizens alike.
