‘FEARMONGERING’: Virginia AG Jay Jones Warns of ‘Armed Federal Agents’ at Polling Sites

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones sent a memo to local election officials earlier this month warning about “armed federal agents” at polling locations during the 2026 midterm elections.

Jones’ office and the Virginia Department of Elections sent the 10-page memo to local election clerks alleging “intimidation and interference,” and citing “concerns about potential actions by the federal government” that include “deploying armed federal agents around polling locations” and “seizing sensitive election materials.”

However, the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security have no plans to deploy federal agents to polling sites, spokespersons from both departments said Monday when asked about the Virginia memo.

“DOJ has never said it would send federal law enforcement to polling sites, and any suggestion otherwise is fear-mongering,” Justice Department spokeswoman Kiersten Pels told The Daily Signal.

While Democrat lawmakers have warned of the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at polling locations, “ICE is not planning operations targeting polling locations,” a DHS spokesperson told the Daily Signal on Monday.

“ICE conducts intelligence-driven targeted enforcement, and if an active public safety threat endangered a polling location, they may be arrested as a result of that targeted enforcement action,” the spokesperson said. “DHS and DOJ are laser focused on prosecuting and removing aliens who vote and preventing the dilution of the votes of U.S. citizens.”

The Virginia memo says it is not legal advice but is for informational purposes only. It also instructs election workers not to physically obstruct federal agents.

“There is heightened public concern regarding potential interference in the 2026 General Election,” the memo says.

The memo instructs Virginia election officials, “if, during the election, federal agents approach or enter a polling location, officials should consider the following responses,” which include “call the local law enforcement point of contact, and local counsel” and “secure sensitive material.”

“If inside a polling location, and it is safe to do so, two officers of election should request that the agents remain outside the 40-foot perimeter. However, action should not be taken to physically obstruct the federal agent,” the memo adds.

The memo says election officials should, to the “extent feasible, document available information about the federal officer presence,” including “Who is present? Name, agency, and quantity of federal officers involved” and “Describe letters, patches, or identifying numbers … visible on the agents’ clothing/vehicles, and whether the agents were armed.”

The alarmism is part of the Democrat playbook, said former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

“Election guidance is not unusual, and this is legally accurate,” Cuccinelli, now chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal. “It’s being blown up by Democrats for the people they presume are the idiot maasses to drum up and scare people to score political points for Jay Jones.”

He noted that in 2022, President Joe Biden and other Democrats made hysterical warnings about armed Trump supporters who would try to suppress voting.

“The DOJ set up a hotline that I don’t think anyone called,” he said.

He added that Jones should report on Nov. 4, the day after Election Day, how many armed federal agents came to polling sites to seize sensitive material.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills in September to outlaw taking ballots, voting machines, or election records, and requiring local officials to report any subpoeanas or warrants for such records to state officials within a day.

“Donald Trump won’t stop until he can exert dictatorial control over your free vote and disenfranchise millions of people this November. California will stop him at every opportunity,” Newsom said. 

In July, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Wis., and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., joined by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and nine other Democrat senators, sent a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth inquiring about armed agents at polling places. 

Neither the Virginia attorney general’s office nor the Virginia Department of Elections responded to inquiries for this story.

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