Kinzinger group opposes military at polling sites
Kinzinger group opposes military at polling sites
Nida Tazeen, Rockford Register StarMon, September 28, 2026 at 8:47 AM UTC
0
A national advocacy group founded by former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger has launched a new phase of an advertising campaign focused on concerns about the use of military personnel at polling locations during the upcoming election.
The effort, called "Reveille and Rally," was expanded by Country First, according to a community announcement.
The campaign is intended to educate voters and encourage public engagement around what the organization describes as the need to keep the U.S. military and National Guard nonpartisan.
The latest campaign phase follows comments by President Donald Trump. According to the announcement, Trump declined to rule out the possibility of deploying National Guard troops or Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to polling places when asked whether such actions could occur in November.
Country First said the campaign will continue through Election Day. According to the announcement, the organization believes deploying military personnel to polling locations could erode public trust in the armed forces and draw the institution into partisan political disputes.
Kinzinger criticizes potential military role at polling places
Kinzinger, the founder of Country First, said the issue remains a significant concern years after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Advertisement
“I'm fed up with this abuse of power and the constant desire by Trump to undermine our democracy. I never thought that five years after January 6th, I would still be in this fight, defending the integrity of our democracy.”
Kinzinger also argued that military personnel should not be present at polling locations.
“Keeping the National Guard and the military nonpartisan, and keeping them away from the ballot box, isn't a partisan position — it's patriotic. In America, we do not send troops to guard ballot boxes. Period. And we will not normalize armed forces at polling places on Election Day. Not in Michigan. Not in Georgia. Not anywhere. Not now. Not ever.”
Campaign to continue through Election Day
According to the announcement, earlier stages of the campaign focused on explaining the role of the National Guard and highlighting veterans' perspectives on maintaining a nonpartisan military.
Country First said the newest phase of "Reveille and Rally" will remain active through Election Day as the organization continues its public outreach efforts.
This story was produced by reporter Nida Tazeen, NTazeen@usatodayco.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Kinzinger group opposes military at polling sites
Source: “AOL Breaking”
