Maine Republican gubernatorial nominee Bobby Charles has announced plans to request that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Marshals be stationed at polling locations across the state ahead of the November midterm elections. The proposal, revealed in an audio recording from an August 20 meeting with Maine Young Republicans in Arundel, marks an unusual but not unprecedented request for federal law enforcement at voting sites.
Charles stated he would make the appeal to Tom Homan, the White House border czar and former acting director of ICE, three to four weeks before Election Day. His comments were first reported by the Bangor Daily News and later confirmed by the Associated Press. The recording captures Charles saying, “I have a friend named Tom Homan. Tom and I used to get on Fox all the time together. Tom’s an awesome guy.”
State and federal responses
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stated that ICE is not planning operations targeting polling locations. A DHS spokesperson told Newsweek that ICE conducts intelligence-driven enforcement and would only act if a public safety threat endangered a polling site. The agency emphasized that any enforcement would be targeted and not part of a broader campaign.
Homan, who has previously declined to rule out ICE presence at polls, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has stated she has not heard President Donald Trump discuss formal plans to deploy ICE at voting locations.
Clarification from Charles
Following initial reports, Charles clarified that his intention was to ensure open communication between state/local election authorities and federal agencies to prevent violence, intimidation, or illegal activity at polling places. He did not specify whether his request would involve armed federal officers or solely liaison efforts.
Political reactions
The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic leaders in Maine. Devon Murphy-Anderson, executive director of the Maine Democratic Party, called Charles’ plan “deeply alarming” and alleged it was an attempt to intimidate voters. Murphy-Anderson stated, “This is a blatant attempt to intimidate voters and yet another reason Bobby Charles is too extreme for Maine.”
Supporters of Charles’ campaign argue the request aligns with concerns about election integrity, particularly regarding potential illegal voting or disruptions at polling sites. The Republican nominee has framed his proposal as a proactive measure to safeguard elections, though no specific incidents in Maine have prompted such a request.
Legal and procedural considerations
Legal experts have questioned whether deploying federal law enforcement to polling places without a clear, imminent threat would violate state or federal laws. Maine election laws generally prohibit intimidation or interference at voting sites, and federal law enforcement presence could be seen as a form of voter suppression if perceived as coercive.
The U.S. Marshals Service, which has historically provided security at polling places upon request, has not commented on whether it would comply with Charles’ appeal. Past deployments have typically been in response to specific threats or high-risk scenarios.
Broader context
The debate over federal law enforcement at polling places has intensified in recent election cycles, with some Republican officials advocating for heightened security measures to prevent fraud, while Democrats argue such actions could disenfranchise voters. In 2020, the Department of Justice issued guidance stating that federal officers should not be used to monitor or interfere with elections unless a federal crime is suspected.
Charles’ proposal comes amid broader discussions about election security in Maine, a state with a history of low voter fraud incidents but ongoing partisan disputes over voting access and administration.
Next steps
Charles has not provided a timeline for formally submitting his request to Homan. Election officials in Maine have not indicated whether they would support or oppose such a deployment. The Maine Secretary of State’s office has not responded to requests for comment on the matter.
For now, the proposal remains a campaign statement without an official application or federal response.