“Trump and Republicans are so desperate to hang on to power that they are trying to eliminate the way some American citizens abroad register to vote and request mail ballots,” DNC chair Ken Martin said.
A recently-filed lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of violating federal law by abruptly changing a form used by overseas voters to register for and request ballots before the midterm elections.
The lawsuit, filed by the Democratic National Committee, accuses the government of attempting to disenfranchise Americans living abroad.
“These American citizens pay U.S. federal and state taxes, but now a years-old plan has culminated in a manufactured ‘emergency’ to justify impeding their right to vote in American elections and potentially disenfranchising them entirely,” the lawsuit alleges.
National Public Radio notes that the Pentagon, which runs the voting-assistance programs used by overseas citizens, quietly announced revisions to two forms in August. Among the changes was the removal of a checkbox for citizen who have “never lived in the United States,” leaving only two response options for those without an active-duty military connections. Both of these options, NPR says, require prospective voters to make a sworn declaration that they either intend to return to the United States or are uncertain about returning.
Notably, however, a small number of citizens who were born abroad have never lived in the United States—potentially complicating their right to still participate in domestic politics.
Attorneys for the Democratic National Committee say that the administration’s actions “have baselessly questioned the voting rights of U.S. citizens born and remaining abroad who meet state eligibility requirements.” These changes, the DNC says, have an obvious political motivation, in that many Americans who live abroad are more likely to vote Democratic than they are Republican.
“U.S. citizens born and remaining abroad are more likely to be Democrats than Republicans,” the DNC said. “In 2024, the Republican National Committee (RNC) began a state-by-state litigation campaign to invalidate state laws authorizing U.S. citizens born and remaining abroad to vote, based on purported conflicts with state constitutions. In these suits, the RNC specifically alleged that these so-called ‘never-resident voters overwhelmingly favor Democratic candidates.’”
“Rather than attempt to earn their votes,” the DNC says, “the RNC targeted their fundamental rights.”
In a statement, DNC Chair Ken Martin described the administration’s last-minute changes as “desperate.”
“Trump and Republicans are so desperate to hang on to power that they are trying to eliminate the way some American citizens abroad register to vote and request mail ballots,” Martin said. “They know that Americans, both at home and abroad, are going to reject their destructive agenda, and they are scrambling to disenfranchise as much of the electorate as possible by any means necessary.”
Sources
DNC sues Trump administration over last-minute changes to overseas voting form
Trump officials changed forms for overseas voters amid a GOP push to restrict voting
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