Hegseth cites 300,000 unregistered troops in push for 2026 midterms

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged service members and their families to register and vote in the 2026 midterm elections, citing an estimate that 300,000 service members were unregistered in 2024. He directed them to federal voting resources and described using a federal postcard to register and request a ballot, or a write-in absentee ballot if a regular ballot is delayed. Hegseth told commanders to encourage voting without telling troops whom to support. His message comes amid the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict mail-in voting; voting-rights advocates and election-law experts have warned that military and overseas ballots could face delivery problems. One report also noted that Hegseth compared the number of unregistered service members with ballots cast in several liberal cities, prompting criticism that his appeal could carry a partisan implication.