The Republican National Committee (RNC) announced Tuesday that it is deploying staff — including “poll watchers” and “election observers” — to at least 17 states in what it calls a nationwide “election integrity” operation ahead of the 2026 midterms.
The move comes as Republicans intensify attacks on voting rights and election administration following years of false claims about widespread voter fraud and mounting efforts to challenge voting access, fair maps and election results in key states.
And the new operation appears to go beyond traditional poll watching.
In comments Tuesday, RNC Chair Joe Gruters confirmed the party has already placed staff on the ground in targeted states tied to competitive House and Senate races.
“You know, we’ve already deployed field staff and we’ve hired state directors and election integrity directors,” Gruters said. “And I think [in] 17 states we’ve deployed people already.”
The RNC has not named the 17 states, but Gruters described the deployment as part of a broader strategy to maintain Republican control of Congress after 2026.
“We focus on the big picture. We focus on winning. We have a plan. We’re executing the plan,” Gruters said.
The comments followed a weekend social media post from President Donald Trump announcing what he called a new Republican “Election Integrity Army” for the midterms.
“During my Historic Election in 2024, when I won every single Swing State, and decisively won both the Electoral and Popular votes by wide margins, the Republicans had an Election Integrity Army in every single State to preserve the sanctity of each legal vote,” Trump wrote. “We will be doing the same again in 2026, but it will be much bigger and stronger.”
Trump’s post also escalated his attacks on Democrats, falsely suggesting Democratic efforts to defend elections amounted to suppression of Republican voters and election interference.
The RNC’s latest push builds on years of Republican organizing around Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen, and comes as voting rights advocates warn about growing intimidation campaigns targeting election officials and minority voters.
In a separate exchange on social media, anti-voting activist Scott Presler urged Republicans to prioritize Pennsylvania.
“Thank you,” Presler wrote. “I hope you’ll consider Pennsylvania.”
Gruters responded publicly.
“Yes, @ScottPresler! We’re already on the ground in Pennsylvania and excited about the momentum we’re building there,” Gruters wrote. “We’re going to keep fighting hard and leave nothing to chance this cycle!”
Presler has become one of the most visible right-wing organizers tied to Republican voter registration and turnout operations in swing states. Voting rights advocates have repeatedly sounded the alarm about his ties to election denial movements and efforts targeting heavily Democratic and Black voters.
The RNC has increasingly framed its election operations as “integrity” work while pursuing lawsuits and organizing campaigns focused on document-based disenfranchisement efforts, voter roll purges and challenges to election outcomes.
