Hegseth Urges Troops to Register and Vote in 2026 Midterms After 300,000 Sat Out Registration Two Years Ago

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday called on U.S. service members and their families to register and vote in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, warning that 300,000 troops failed to register to vote two years ago.

In a nearly two-minute video released Friday, Hegseth walked the armed forces through their options and directed them to the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website.

"Regardless of your home state or current duty status, you can use a standardized federal postcard to register and request a ballot, and if you're forward deployed and your standard ballot is delayed, you can use the federal write-in absentee ballot. All of these processes are straightforward and protected by law," Hegseth said.

The Pentagon chief delivered the same message to commanders, making clear the push is about participation, not politics.

"You're not telling them who to vote for. You're just telling them to vote," he said.

Hegseth also instructed voting assistance officers in the video to "get out there" and get service members registered.

"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. "Get registered and vote."

The numbers behind the push are telling. According to the FVAP, about 67 percent of active-duty military members were registered to vote in the 2024 election. That marked a 3-point drop from 2020.

The FVAP also said that 71 percent of the 1.3 million active-duty military members are eligible to cast an absentee ballot with special protections because they are stationed away from their voting residence.

Friday's video is just the latest sign of Hegseth's involvement in the run-up to the midterms.

In May, the defense secretary traveled to Kentucky to campaign for former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who was challenging Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in the Republican primary.

"War fighters understand mission, they understand teamwork, they understand loyalty, and they understand that in the middle of a fight, you don't weaken your own side to advance to the objective, and that's what Ed Gallrein understands, because he has lived it," Hegseth said at the time.
Gallrein went on to defeat Massie, a prominent critic of President Trump, in the GOP primary. Earlier this month, Massie introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth.

Hegseth's campaign trail activity has not stopped there. Last month, he appeared at the Iowa State Fair to campaign for Rep. Zach Nunn, a Republican.
With the midterms approaching, Hegseth's latest message to the ranks was simple and direct: register, request a ballot and make sure your vote is counted, whether you are at home or deployed overseas. The tools, he stressed, are already in place and protected by law, and it is up to commanders and voting assistance officers to make sure every eligible service member knows how to use them.