Federal assurances from the Pentagon and Joint Chiefs of Staff that no active-duty troops or federalized National Guard would deploy to polling sites shaped trader views, citing legal restrictions and state responsibility for elections. Limited state activations occurred instead, including Washington’s roughly 100 unarmed, plainclothes Guard members monitoring ballot drop boxes in seven counties through November 10 due to powder threats and prior incidents, plus cybersecurity support in Iowa, Colorado, and elsewhere. No confirmed Guard presence inside polling places or handling ballots materialized, and the November 3 midterms unfolded without major federal military involvement despite earlier speculation around the Insurrection Act. Post-election developments, such as calls to withdraw out-of-state Guard from Washington, D.C., remain separate from voting-site questions.