Dear Editor:

President Trump has stated that U.S. troops could be stationed at polling places when "necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States," a standard the administration has suggested could apply to "civil unrest" or "alleged fraud."

This is hard to square with the administration's stated concern for election integrity. Despite that rhetoric, the Department of Justice has:

- Dismantled the Public Integrity Section, which was responsible for maintaining an election day command center

- Canceled all election training sessions

- Removed the 281-page election fraud prosecution guide from its website

- Disbanded the Foreign Influence Task Force

Together, these actions leave our national elections more vulnerable to manipulation and corruption. These moves raise serious concerns that President Trump intends to interfere with the integrity of the midterm elections.

In response to the president's suggestion that he might deploy the National Guard or ICE personnel to polling places during the upcoming midterms in the name of "honest elections," Senator Elissa Slotkin has introduced the Protect Our Polls Act. The bill would block the president from sending uniformed military or federal law enforcement to polling sites without explicit congressional approval.

The goal is simple: prevent the military from being used as a tool to interfere in elections.

Key provisions of the bill:

1. Congressional approval required before any deployment of federal forces to polling locations

2. 48-hour advance notice to lawmakers before any deployment

3. Justification required — including intelligence, legal grounds, and evidence that state or local authorities cannot handle the situation on their own

Protecting our democratic ideals is up to us. Please join me in urging your senators and representatives to support this bill.

Fred W. Nehring

Boothbay