Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is intensifying efforts to increase voter participation among U.S. service members ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, urging troops to register and cast ballots without endorsing any candidate or party. As part of the campaign, he has issued a stand-down order granting military personnel a day off this month to vote, a move that has sparked both support and unease among observers.
Critics argue that Hegseth, a former Army National Guard major, is leveraging his position to influence the elections, pointing to his campaign appearances in Kentucky and Iowa earlier this year. These events, where he supported Republican candidates, have raised questions about the line between official duties and personal political activity. However, supporters contend that encouraging civic engagement is a legitimate and necessary role for the military, ensuring that those who defend the Constitution can participate in its democratic processes.
Meaghan Mobbs, director of the Center for American Safety and Security at the Independent Women's Forum and a former Army paratrooper, acknowledged the unusual nature of the initiative. "Yes, a department-wide voting stand-down personally announced by the secretary is more visible than the Pentagon's normal election messaging," she said. "But the military has a longstanding legal responsibility to help service members register, obtain absentee ballots and vote." Mobbs emphasized the importance of nonpartisanship, stating, "The military should never tell troops whom to support, but it should ensure that they can participate."
Carrie A. Lee, a civil-military relations expert and senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, expressed concern that the stand-down might be interpreted as an order to vote, which she deemed inappropriate. "I do worry about whether this stand-down will be interpreted as an order from the secretary directing service members to vote—which would be inappropriate," Lee said. She also noted a departure from the administration's broader federal workforce policy, as the Trump administration had previously rescinded executive orders allowing federal workers administrative leave to vote, implementing more restrictive guidance instead.
Hegseth, in his announcements, stressed that Pentagon leadership should not dictate voting choices but encouraged troops to exercise their right, highlighting that roughly 300,000 service members did not register to vote two years ago. The stand-down order is to be executed by Oct. 15 and will apply in even-numbered election years going forward. "Every warrior deserves an opportunity to cast his or her ballot and be confident that it will be counted. Keep our nation the land of the free and the home of the brave," he said in a video message. "Get registered and vote."
Data from the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) shows that about 67% of active-duty military members were registered to vote in the 2024 election, a 3-point decrease from 2020. Participation rates have also declined, with an estimated 42% of active-duty personnel voting in 2024, down from 47% in 2020. Approximately 71% of the 1.3 million active-duty members are eligible for special absentee ballot protections due to being stationed away from their voting residence.
Mobbs described the stand-down as "extremely valuable" given the measurable problem of military underparticipation. "From a national-security perspective, civic participation matters. Our adversaries constantly work to convince Americans that our institutions are corrupt, illegitimate or not worth participating in," she said. "A military whose members are informed, engaged and invested in our constitutional system is a stronger military."
Hegseth's political activities have drawn scrutiny, including his May trip to Kentucky to support a primary challenger to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), an unusual move for a Defense secretary. Pentagon officials said he attended in a personal capacity, but some critics saw a potential Hatch Act violation. Massie, who lost the primary, later introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth. In August, Hegseth campaigned for Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), again in a personal capacity.
Lee noted that there is "significant precedent" for administrations to support get-out-the-vote efforts for service members, particularly during wartime, such as the Roosevelt administration's 1944 push to ensure deployed GIs could vote. However, she said, "It's unusual that there is such a big emphasis during a midterm election when it's peacetime." The debate over Hegseth's initiative reflects broader tensions about the military's role in a polarized political climate, with oversight concerns already swirling around his leadership. As the midterms approach, the effectiveness and propriety of this push will likely remain a point of contention.
