Trump officials changed forms for overseas voters amid a GOP push to restrict voting
The Trump administration has revised absentee voting forms for overseas citizens, removing a checkbox for those who have never lived in the U.S. This change complicates the voting process for citizens who rely on family history to qualify for ballots, amid ongoing GOP efforts to restrict such voting.
Why it matters
The modification directly impacts the ability of overseas U.S. citizens to participate in federal elections, potentially influencing outcomes in close races.
The Trump administration has made last-minute changes to key absentee-voting forms for U.S. citizens living abroad, raising concerns about confusing some overseas voters during this year's midterm elections.
The revisions to two forms came in late August from the Pentagon. The department runs the voting assistance program that provides forms allowing eligible overseas citizens, plus U.S. military members and their families, to register for and participate in federal elections.
Weeks before a Sept. 19 deadline for states to send those voters midterm ballots, the Pentagon submitted "emergency" requests to bypass the usual months-long process for changing federal forms.
Among the changes was removing a checkbox for an overseas U.S. citizen to identify as having "never lived in the United States."
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