DC asks National Guard to keep troops away from ballot drop boxes, election board says

Published October 9, 2026 5:19pm ET



The D.C. Board of Elections told the National Guard to keep troops away from ballot drop boxes, alleging voter interference.

The outcry came after a left-wing account on X posted a video, dated Thursday, showing two National Guard members standing nonchalantly by a ballot drop box. Washington, D.C., first opened its ballot drop boxes on Friday, after the video was taken, meaning the box wasn’t in use. Nevertheless, the account complained that it looked “like they’re guarding” the drop box and were committing a federal crime. The D.C. Board of Elections followed through on the complaints, demanding that National Guard members stay away from the ballot boxes.

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