Bannon's plan to send ICE to polling locations was tried in 1982 and resulted in major defeat
I have been volunteering on voter protection efforts since 2004. Until 2018, the RNC was under a cease and desist order/injunction that was due to the RNC doing something similar. All of the voter protection teams had the number of the lawyers in New Jersey who were in charge of monitoring compliance with this injunction. You had to go through the DNC voter protection team to file any thing to trigger this injunction
Bannon really wants to have law enforcement or ICE at polling locations
When the GOP tried this 1982, the result was a great injunction that lasted until 2018
From 1982-2018, the Republican National Committee was barred from "ballot security measures" because of their record of using state actors to intimidate minority voters.
— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn.bsky.social) 2026-02-04T20:19:55.429Z
(H/t @rickhasen.bsky.social)
www.npr.org/2018/01/09/5...
If Bannon gets his wish, you will see some fun litigation that will use the 1982 injunction as an example of the relief that would be appropriate.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I have been working on voter protection efforts in the real world since 2004. County and state officials are responsible for most election issues. In Texas and many states, there are limits to activities that can take place within 100 feet of a polling location. I was the point person for the Clinton Victory Counsel team and had to deal with a report of armed officials outside a polling place near San Antonio. I called my contact at the Texas Secretary of State office, and she said that she would look into it. This was at 4:30 on election day and I never heard back. The DNC boiler room thought that it was too late to seek injunction for one polling place and they had other issues (i.e., Texas was not a priority for the DNC/Clinton National campaign).
The 1982 injunction was against the RNC based on the voting rights act. That provision could still be used if a political party was involved. In that election the RNC itself had private off duty police officers in uniform at polling places challenging not-white voters. The DNC was the only party that could enforce that injunction and that procedure would have to be in Federal Court in New Jersey.
Here it is more likely that if the military, ICE or DHS was used, there is another remedy available. There is a federal statute that is applicable which will be used by the Democratic national and state parties.
Link to tweet
Whoever, being an officer of the Army or Navy, OR OTHER PERSON IN THE CIVIL, military, or naval service of the United States, orders, brings, keeps, or has under his authority or control any troops or armed men at any place where a general or special election is held, unless such force be necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States, SHALL BE FINED UNDER THIS TITLE OR IMPRISONED NOT MORE THAN FIVE YEARS, OR BOTH; and be disqualified from holding any office of honor, profit, or trust under the United States.
This federal statute has been interpreted by legal analyst as including federal civil servants and armed federal law enforcement agents, such as those from @ICEgov or @DHSgov
Link to tweet
18 U.S. Code § 592 makes it a crime punishable by 5 years in prison to deploy federal troops to polling places...
— (@rlyon.bsky.social) 2026-02-06T12:03:14.782Z
This law would apply to ICE and DHS officers if they tried to block access to polling places. This law was discussed on MS NOW a couple of times last night. Basically, one could seek an injunction to block the military, ICE or DHS from interfering with polling places
Voter protection will be challenging for the upcoming midterms. I know that the State party and other groups are gearing up to try to protect the vote.