Military voters may encounter hindrances due to Trump's election order
Deployed families nationwide brace for voting changes led by President Trump
Prepare for a bumpy ride when it comes to casting your vote, fellow military family members stationed far from home. President Donnie Two-Scoops (no, not that popcorn dude) is aiming to beef up voter eligibility requirements, which could make the process more complicated and potentially leave you without a say in the elections that shape our world.
The new executive order announced recently aspires to tighten proof-of-citizenship rules and swing states into changing their choke-hold on the voting process. Given the legal battles surrounding Republican efforts to nix overseas ballots, this news might have you worried.
Let me explain.last month, a court ruling threatened thousands of overseas ballots cast in North Carolina for a Supreme Court race—just one example of many ongoing struggles for military voters.
Trump is now using his powers to revamp election policies and align them with conservative ideologies by signing the March executive order. This order attempts to enforce policies that Republicans haven't been able to pass through legislative means or the courts.
The military vote has been a politically sacred cow, with 1986 legislation clearing some obstacles for service members displaying broad bipartisan support. But as conspiracy theories about mass election fraud have surfaced, Trump and his team have responded by taking steps that could leave those serving the country overseas disenfranchised.
Caught in the crossfire are families like yours, who may face difficulties acquiring the necessary documents for registration and sending them securely to election officials. "[The executive order] just doesn't take into account our lived experiences and inadvertently creates unnecessary barriers for folks in the military or overseas," said Sarah Streyder, executive directive of the Secure Families Initiative, a military families organization challenging the order in court.
"When you're an American abroad, you don't let your passport out of your sight," argued Hans von Spakovsky, manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative at the Heritage Foundation. He suggested that military IDs, which don't contain citizenship information, could be updated to include such details. The Department of Defense has yet to comment on its plans for implementing the new order.
Strengthening proof-of-citizenship requirements is especially challenging since Trump doesn't have jurisdiction over state election registration rules. His efforts are aimed at federal forms that Americans typically use for voter registration. While this doesn't give Trump total control, it could make life more difficult for military families and civilians stationed overseas.
Additional concerns include delays in overseas ballot delivery, affecting the voting power of military families. With almost half of rejected ballots in 2020 tossed out because they arrived after the deadline, the increased risk of ballot rejection is real. Plus, states offering extra time for overseas voters due to increased delays could be targeted by the order, putting military and overseas voters' ballots at risk.
Still, four out of five overseas voters who didn't return a ballot in 2020 said it was due to complications in the process, according to survey data from the Defense Department office that supports military families with voting.
"I've never heard a single election official have anything but tremendous concern for challenges those serving American interests overseas might be facing until recently," said David Becker, former Justice Department attorney and head of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, which offers guidance to both major parties on election administration.
Times are a-changin', my friends, and the process of voting won't be as easy as it once was. Keep a close eye on this situation, and remember—your voice matters. Don't let anyone take that away from you!
1) Given the changes President Trump is intending to implement, military families stationed overseas might find it challenging to vote, especially with the heightened eligibility requirements that could lead to potential disenfranchisement.
2) Sarah Streyder, executive directive of the Secure Families Initiative, expressed her concerns about the new executive order, stating that it creates unnecessary barriers for military families and those overseas, as it could make the acquisition of necessary documents for registration and ballot submission more difficult.
3) In a proactive measure, Hans von Spakovsky from the Heritage Foundation suggested updating military IDs to include citizenship information, which might help address proof-of-citizenship vulnerabilities for overseas voters.
