Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is making a direct appeal to America’s service members ahead of the 2026 midterm elections: get registered and make sure your vote is counted.
With Election Day approaching, Hegseth released a video Friday encouraging military personnel and their families to use federal voting programs designed to help Americans serving far from home participate in elections.
The message comes after hundreds of thousands of active-duty service members were not registered during the 2024 presidential election.
Pentagon Launches Major Voting Push Before Midterms
Hegseth pointed troops toward the Federal Voting Assistance Program, commonly known as FVAP, which provides registration and absentee-ballot assistance to military members, their families and eligible Americans living overseas.
“Regardless of your home state or current duty status,” Hegseth said, service members can use a federal form to register and request an absentee ballot.
He also reminded troops that another federal ballot is available when a regular absentee ballot does not arrive in time.
The Pentagon chief’s message to military commanders was equally clear.
“You’re not telling them who to vote for. You’re just telling them to vote,” Hegseth said.
Reporting on Hegseth’s September 25 message confirms that he directed service members to FVAP while emphasizing voter participation rather than support for a particular candidate.
Military Voter Registration Fell In 2024
The new push follows a decline in voter registration among active-duty military personnel during the last presidential election.
According to the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s official 2024 report to Congress, approximately 67 percent of active-duty military members were registered to vote in 2024.
That was down from 70 percent in 2020.
Military voter participation also declined. About 42 percent of active-duty personnel participated in the 2024 election, compared with 47 percent during the 2020 presidential election.
Those numbers have placed renewed attention on the challenges facing military voters, particularly troops stationed overseas or hundreds of miles from the communities where they are registered.
Special Voting Rules Protect Service Members
Members of the Armed Forces frequently face voting circumstances that are very different from those of civilians living near their local polling places.
Deployments, overseas assignments, military transfers and training obligations can make getting to a traditional voting location impossible.
Federal law therefore provides special absentee-voting protections for qualifying service members and their families.
One of the main tools is the Federal Post Card Application, or FPCA, which allows eligible military voters to register and request an absentee ballot.
FVAP also provides access to the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot, known as the FWAB, which can serve as a backup when an eligible voter has requested a ballot but has not received it in time.
FVAP currently lists the 2026 general election for November 3 and provides state-specific registration deadlines, ballot information and election-office contacts for military voters.
Hegseth Tells Voting Officers To Get Involved
Hegseth did not limit his message to individual troops.
He also called on military voting assistance officers to actively help service members register.
“Every warrior deserves an opportunity to cast his or her ballot, and be confident that it will be counted,” Hegseth said.
He concluded with a straightforward message: “Get registered and vote.”
Federal data suggest that military voting assistance can make a measurable difference.
FVAP reported that active-duty personnel who received help through Defense Department resources were significantly more likely to submit an absentee ballot than those who did not receive assistance.
Service members who needed assistance and sought help through a Defense Department resource were approximately three times as likely to report returning their absentee ballot, according to the agency’s 2024 report.
Hegseth Has Been Active During 2026 Election Season
The defense secretary’s new voting message also comes after his involvement in Republican campaign events earlier in the 2026 election cycle.
Hegseth previously traveled to Kentucky to support former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein during Gallrein’s Republican primary challenge against Rep. Thomas Massie.
Gallrein ultimately defeated Massie, who had frequently clashed with President Donald Trump.
Hegseth also appeared at an event supporting Republican Rep. Zach Nunn in Iowa.
Those appearances have increased attention on Hegseth’s political activity heading into the midterms.
His latest Pentagon message, however, focused specifically on voter participation.
Hegseth explicitly told military commanders that their role was not to tell service members which candidates to support.
November Election Is Getting Closer
The November 3, 2026 general election is now approaching quickly, making registration and absentee-ballot deadlines increasingly important for Americans serving away from home.
FVAP allows military voters to find their individual state requirements, registration deadlines, election-office information and ballot-status tools in one place.
For service members stationed across the United States and around the world, the Trump administration’s Pentagon is delivering a simple message ahead of the midterms: check your registration, understand the absentee-voting process and be prepared to cast your ballot.