Common Cause president Virginia Kase Solomon on armed ICE officers at polling places
Virginia Kase SolomonPresident and CEO of Common Cause, a plaintiff in the lawsuit
Common Cause President and CEO Virginia Kase Solomon said that putting armed officers in polling places is a tactic used by dictators and that no American should have to walk past armed federal law enforcement to cast a ballot. She said the administration has adopted a policy that allows this.
“Putting armed officers in polling places is a tactic used by dictators, but we won’t be scared out of exercising our rights No American should ever have to walk past armed federal law enforcement just to cast a ballot, yet this administration has adopted a policy that allows exactly that.”
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Should ICE and other armed federal agents be allowed at or near polling places in the 2026 election?
Since February 2026, federal officials have given differing answers about whether ICE and other armed federal agents could be at or near polling places during the November 3 election. On September 1, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said ICE would be at a polling place only if there is a threat to it or agents are serving a warrant, and DHS told Politico that ICE is not planning operations targeting polling locations but that arrests could result if an active public safety threat endangered one. On September 10, 18 and 23, 2026, LULAC and other groups, a coalition including the NAACP, and Democratic leaders and party committees sued separately in federal court in Washington. They allege that the administration's statements and actions violate 18 U.S.C. 592, Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act, or both. As of September 25, the court dockets show no motion for a preliminary injunction and no answer or motion to dismiss from the federal defendants, and no court has ruled.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Common Cause news release dated September 10, 2026, announcing the federal lawsuit filed by LULAC, Common Cause, UnidosUS and the city and county of Denver over armed ICE officers at polling places. It quotes leaders of the plaintiff organizations and Denver officials.
Before the quotation
Common Cause, LULAC, UnidosUS and the city and county of Denver filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on September 10, 2026, according to the release. The release says the suit challenges a policy that it says Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed and clarified on September 1, when he said ICE officers could enter polling places to serve warrants or conduct other immigration and customs enforcement activity.
After the quotation
The release says the suit asks the court to declare what it calls the Polling Place Policy unlawful and to block the administration from carrying it out. It says the plaintiffs are represented by Democracy Forward and Public Rights Project.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case records responses to the administration's stated or threatened use of ICE and other armed federal agents at or near polling places. Kase Solomon said putting armed officers in polling places is a tactic used by dictators and that no American should have to walk past armed federal law enforcement to cast a ballot. That expressly rejects the practice, so we labeled it Condemned.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
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The Dispute Index. "Common Cause president Virginia Kase Solomon on armed ICE officers at polling places". First published: 2026-09-26. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/2830-common-cause-president-and-ceo-virginia-kase-solomon