Trump administration’s quiet move makes it harder for some US citizens abroad to vote, lawsuit says

The Democratic National Committee has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that the administration secretly altered a postcard used by U.S. citizens living abroad to cast their votes in elections. The lawsuit claims that the Department of Defense made the change under an emergency declaration, which allowed them to remove a specific box from the form.

This box is typically checked by individuals who are U.S. citizens but have never lived in the United States, such as the children of U.S. citizens. These voters are typically found in 38 states and are eligible to cast ballots if they have close family connections to American citizens. The lawsuit argues that the administration unilaterally made the change without proper notice.

The Department of Defense did not comment on the matter. The lawsuit asserts that the number of affected Americans living abroad has likely increased since the change was implemented in 2013. Some of these individuals are already registered to vote and are set to receive ballots for the upcoming election in November. The move comes after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth encouraged military personnel living overseas to vote en masse, suggesting they could potentially outnumber Democratic-leaning military voters in certain jurisdictions.

The Department of Defense's role in administering the voting form has been criticized, as the law requiring overseas citizens to have the same voting rights as those in the U.S. is being challenged by Republicans.