Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will sign an executive order Wednesday aimed at protecting election workers and voters if federal agents appear at polling places, the Democratic governor announced Tuesday at an event hosted by the Center for American Progress.
The order will spell out how Virginia state employees and election workers should respond if federal agents show up at voting locations, Spanberger said. She framed the concern as protecting citizens from potential voter intimidation tactics.
"Throughout history, we have seen efforts at intimidating voters. My worry is that we will continue to see those heightened," Spanberger said at the progressive think tank's conference. "The reality is that the challenges and the fear that people might have when going to the polling place is real."
The move reflects growing anxiety among election officials and Democratic politicians about federal interference in elections. President Donald Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud, fueling concerns about potential disruptions to voting operations run by state and local officials nationwide.
Those fears intensified after remarks by former Trump White House aide Steve Bannon in March, when he suggested that deploying Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports could serve as "perfect training for the fall of 2026."
The concerns came into sharper focus in February when California Secretary of State Shirley Weber asked federal authorities during a call whether election officials would receive advance notice of immigration enforcement operations near polling sites. A deputy assistant secretary for election integrity responded that "any suggestion that ICE is going to be present at polling places is simply disinformation," adding "there will be no ICE presence at polling locations."
Federal law prohibits law enforcement from appearing at polling sites or interfering with election operations. The Department of Justice does routinely deploy monitors to observe state-run elections, a practice that operates within legal bounds.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Spanberger's order signals states are taking voter intimidation fears seriously, but it also underscores how Trump's rhetoric about election integrity continues to shape how officials prepare for voting day."
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