Abigail Spanberger said Tuesday that she plans to issue an executive order Wednesday to help election workers in Virginia respond if federal agents show up at polling sites. She said the order will spell out how state employees and people working in support of Virginia’s state-run elections can react when agents appear at a location where the concern is that they are there mainly to intimidate or scare voters.
Speaking at a conference hosted by the Center for American Progress, Spanberger said, “Throughout history, we have seen efforts at intimidating voters. My worry is that we will continue to see those heightened.” She added, “The reality is that the challenges and the fear that people might have when going to the polling place is real.”
The move comes as some election officials and Democratic politicians worry President Donald Trump could interfere in this year’s midterm elections, even though state and local officials run those contests across the country. Federal monitors from the Justice Department routinely observe state-run elections, but it is illegal for law enforcement officials to show up at polling sites or for the federal government to interfere with election operations.
Spanberger did not say what exact steps the order would authorize, but her remarks framed the issue as one of preparation rather than panic. In February, NBC News reported that California Secretary of State Shirley Weber asked federal authorities during a call whether election officials would be alerted about immigration enforcement operations near polling sites. In March, former Trump White House aide Steve Bannon said deploying Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports is “perfect training for the fall of 2026.”
The concern over federal interference is already fueling political pushback. Earlier Tuesday, a coalition of local elected prosecutors calling themselves the Project for the Fight Against Federal Overreach said they would fight back against any federal interference in elections. Larry Krasner said, “Anyone — federal agent or otherwise — who shows up at a polling place in Philadelphia to intimidate voters is going to find out what ‘find out’ means.” He added, “A federal badge is not a license to violate the Constitution, and it is not a shield from state criminal law.”
Heather Honey, meanwhile, pushed back on the notion that immigration agents would be deployed to polling places, saying, “Any suggestion that ICE is going to be present at polling places is simply disinformation. There will be no ICE presence at polling locations.” Spanberger is expected to issue the order Wednesday, putting Virginia at the center of a fight that is likely to shape how election workers think about security heading into 2026. For more on Spanberger’s recent actions in Virginia, see the assault weapons ban signed by Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
