Federal agents banned from polling places under new voting-access bill
S. 5474 — Safe Access to the Polls Act · Filed by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Sep 23, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill prohibits the federal government from spending money to station Department of Homeland Security agents (ICE and CBP officers) or National Guard members in uniform within a quarter-mile of polling places during voting periods, or to set up checkpoints blocking access to them. It aims to prevent federal law enforcement from intimidating voters or interfering with their ability to cast ballots.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is a prohibition on federal law-enforcement deployment at polling places. It is a straightforward electoral-access safeguard with no hidden provisions or narrow beneficiaries.
What the text implies
- The bill does not address state or local law enforcement presence at polls, only federal agents—leaving open the possibility of voter intimidation by non-federal actors.
- The 1/4-mile radius is a bright-line rule that may not capture all forms of intimidation (e.g., agents stationed just outside the perimeter or conducting operations on routes to polls).
- The bill does not define 'interfere in any way,' which could lead to disputes over what conduct is prohibited—though the operative restriction (no deployment within 1/4 mile) is itself clear.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill protects a core democratic right—the ability to vote without intimidation or obstruction by federal law enforcement. Removing the possibility of armed federal agents stationed at polling places reduces voter suppression risk and strengthens electoral integrity by ensuring equal access regardless of immigration status or perceived threat.
Named in the bill
Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), National Guard, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.
- Sep 23, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Sep 23, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Rules and Administration · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (764 characters) on Oct 3, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Federal agents banned from polling places under new voting-access bill” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/s5474 Report an error
The week in bills
One email, Sunday: what Congress passed, what it changed, and who paid.
One link arrives to confirm the address. It is used for this email and nothing else, and every issue carries an unsubscribe link.