AFT president Randi Weingarten on deploying federal agents to polling places
Randi WeingartenPresident of the American Federation of Teachers, a plaintiff in the lawsuit
AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a Legal Defense Fund release announcing the September 18 lawsuit that deploying federal agents to strike fear into voters at polling places is a tactic out of the authoritarian playbook. She called it intimidation that has no place in a true democracy and said citizens need to exercise their right to vote without "running the gauntlet of an armed, masked militia."
“Deploying federal agents to strike the fear of god into voters at polling places is a tactic straight out of the authoritarian playbook It’s intimidation pure and simple and has no place in a true democracy. No matter your politics, American citizens need to be able to exercise their basic democratic right without running the gauntlet of an armed, masked militia”
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
Announcement by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, co-counsel for the plaintiffs, of the suit by nine organizations. It lists the plaintiffs and their counsel and quotes lawyers and plaintiff leaders, including NAACP General Counsel Kristen Clarke.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Nine organizations, including the American Federation of Teachers and the NAACP, filed a federal lawsuit on September 18, 2026. The plaintiffs allege that the administration's statements and actions violate Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits intimidation, threats and coercion of people for voting or attempting to vote.
After the quotation
The release says the plaintiffs are represented by seven legal organizations, including the Legal Defense Fund and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law.
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. Weingarten called deploying federal agents to strike fear into voters at polling places a tactic from the authoritarian playbook and intimidation with no place in a true democracy, and said citizens need to be able to vote without running the gauntlet of an armed, masked militia. She set no condition, so we labeled it Condemned.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
More from this case
Read the full caseGeraghty says fears of federal agents intimidating voters have so far proved unfounded
“There’s a lot of fear that the 2026 midterm elections will be disrupted by some authority, either federal or local, harassing and intimidating voters, seizing ballots, or closing polling places. That fear, so far, appears unfounded.”Read statement
Letitia James says armed federal agents are not allowed at New York polls
“I want New York voters to know the law is on their side. Armed federal agents are not allowed at polling places, and no one can use a badge, a weapon, or a threat to stop you from voting.”Read statement
Trueblood says uniformed federal observers can intimidate voters
“You standing there in your FBI vest is intimidating to voters, and so we’re not going to allow that,”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- AFT president Randi Weingarten on deploying federal agents to polling places
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/3339-aft-president-randi-weingarten-said-in-a-legal
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "AFT president Randi Weingarten on deploying federal agents to polling places". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/3339-aft-president-randi-weingarten-said-in-a-legal