Wired reports:

Last week, as President Donald Trump prepared to leave the White House on his way to China for a state visit, he was asked if he would be willing to deploy troops from the National Guard or agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to polling locations during November’s midterms.

“I would do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections,” Trump responded.

Trump’s comments are the latest in a litany of confusing and sometimes contradictory statements from his administration about the possibility of deploying federal agents to oversee the elections. It’s already had a chilling effect on voters and election workers.

WIRED spoke to more than a dozen election officials, including secretaries of state and election directors in red and blue states, about the possibility of an ICE deployment to polling locations in November. While some officials say they are not worried, the majority said they had major concerns, especially as these statements come during a much broader attack on elections and democracy from the Trump administration. At least one has actively planned for a scenario in which he’s arrested.

With six months to go before the midterms, the officials said they are now scrambling to reassure voters, replace federal election resources eliminated by Trump, and try to plan for scenarios they have never had to contemplate before. [Continue reading…]