Maine GOP nominee Bobby Charles says he will "make an appeal for ICE and marshals to be at our voting booths"
Republican nominee for governor of Maine
“I’m going to make an appeal for ICE and marshals to be at our voting booths”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Associated Press report, carried by NBC News, based on audio it obtained of an Aug. 20 event with a Maine Young Republicans chapter. The Bangor Daily News first reported the audio. The report includes Charles's Aug. 26 explanation and a DHS statement.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Charles was speaking to a Maine Young Republicans chapter at an event in Arundel.
After the quotation
On August 26, Charles said state and local authorities should have an open line of communication with federal authorities to prevent violence, intimidation and illegality at a voting place, according to the Associated Press.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Should ICE and other armed federal agents be allowed at or near polling places in the 2026 election?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
The fixed reference point is the administration's stated or threatened use of ICE at or near polling places. Charles called for ICE and U.S. marshals to be at voting booths, which argues for deploying federal agents at polling places. He holds no federal office, so this is recorded as a candidate's position rather than an administration position.
- Recorded on
- Published here
Should ICE and other armed federal agents be allowed at or near polling places in the 2026 election?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
More from this case
Read the full case“We are taking strong, joint legal action to block Donald Trump’s threats to deploy federal agents, including ICE and FBI agents, to polling places this November. … Federal law explicitly forbids voter intimidation and stationing armed federal agents at polling places.”Read statement
NAACP
“We reject this administration’s attempt to desecrate our polling sites by converting them into militarized zones through the unlawful deployment of ICE or any other federal agent … The Voting Rights Act prohibits intimidation tactics that stand to deny and deter voters from exercising their voice and their rights.”Read statement
“I have not seen any operational plans or any discussions on any immigration enforcement operation at polling places. This is another fear tactic. This is another attack on ICE and this administration. … I want to put that to bed. There is no plan to sweep polling places looking for illegal aliens.”Read statement