On Sept. 25, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth urged troops and their families to register for November’s midterms. He said a federal postcard lets them register and request a ballot; forward-deployed troops can use a write-in absentee ballot if regular ballots are delayed.
Hegseth pointed service members to the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website and told commanders to encourage voting without directing how people should vote. FVAP’s latest report said 67% of active-duty members were registered in 2024, down 3 percentage points from 2020; about 71% of 1.3 million active-duty members were eligible for specially protected absentee ballots because they were stationed away from their voting residence.
Hegseth has campaigned for Republican candidates. In May, he backed Ed Gallrein against Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s Republican primary, which Gallrein won. On Sept. 15, Massie launched articles of impeachment against Hegseth, accusing him of betraying his oath and abusing his powers as a military leader. Neither Hegseth nor the Pentagon had responded to the allegations by Sept. 25.
