Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged U.S. service members and their families to register and vote before the midterm elections, emphasizing the importance of mail‑in voting amid the Trump administration’s push to restrict the option. In a nearly two‑minute video message, Hegseth called on troops to use a standardized federal postcard to register and request a ballot, and to use a federal write‑in absentee ballot if their standard ballot is delayed while forward deployed.
Hegseth stressed that the processes are straightforward and protected by law, adding that every warrior deserves the chance to cast a ballot that will be counted. He urged voters to keep the nation “the land of the free and the home of the brave” by registering and voting.
Trump and his officials have argued that their failed nationwide restrictions do not apply to military voters, but election law experts warned that the U.S. Postal Service had no reliable system in place to ensure those ballots would be delivered. The Supreme Court temporarily blocked the administration’s changes, allowing states to continue using long‑standing procedures. Daniel C. Schwartz, chair of National Security Leaders for America’s Legal Advisory Committee, warned that experimenting with an untested system could disenfranchise military personnel and overseas citizens.
According to the Federal Voting Assistance Program, 67 % of active‑duty troops were registered in 2024, a three‑point drop from 2020, and nearly three‑quarters of the 1.3 million active‑duty service members are eligible to cast an absentee ballot. Hegseth’s call for broad access contrasts sharply with Trump’s push for the SAVE America Act, which critics say would still significantly impact overseas and military voters. Trump has repeatedly described mail‑in voting as “cheating” and “crooked,” calling for a ban on the practice despite having cast a mail ballot himself in Florida’s 2024 primary.
