The Republican Party is facing backlash from veterans and military groups for filing lawsuits in key battleground states—Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Michigan—aimed at restricting the votes of overseas service members.
These lawsuits challenge the legitimacy of absentee ballots submitted under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act UOCAVA, a Reagan-era law designed to facilitate voting for military personnel and U.S. citizens living abroad.
Critics argue that the lawsuits, filed just weeks before Election Day, are politically motivated attempts to suppress votes, particularly those from the military, which could undermine the integrity of the election process.
Louis Caldera, former Secretary of the Army, labeled the lawsuits as a troubling move with no basis in evidence of voter fraud among military personnel.
The GOP efforts follow a pattern seen during the 2020 election, where mail-in and absentee ballots were widely challenged by former President Donald Trump, who has continued to falsely claim that the election was stolen. Trump recently raised concerns about overseas ballots, accusing Democrats of using them to cheat.
Military organizations and voting rights advocates are alarmed by these legal efforts, which they say unjustly target a group that has already gone through a rigorous process to vote. Kate Marsh Lord of the Secure Families Initiative called the lawsuits a direct attack on military voters and their families.
Others, like Allison Jaslow of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, expressed frustration that military personnel, who sacrifice for their country, are now at risk of being disenfranchised.
The legal challenges are seen by many as part of a broader attempt to undermine confidence in the election system, especially as absentee ballots remain a contentious issue following the 2020 election.
Voting rights organizations worry that even if the lawsuits fail, the spread of misinformation will have lasting effects, deterring voters from participating in future elections.