Republicans Are Trying to Disenfranchise Military Voters

In 2000, I was stationed in Florida and away from my home state of New Jersey. I sent in my mail-in ballot and voted for Al Gore, believing I was participating in a cornerstone of democracy. However, as the recount chaos unfolded — with hanging chads, legal battles, and a controversial Supreme Court decision — I was left wondering if my vote had even been counted. I deployed soon after, following 9/11, pushing those concerns aside. But the lessons from that election never left me. Voting rights, especially for minority blocs, are fragile and must be fiercely protected.

Now, 24 years later, we are witnessing another attempt to undermine mail-in voting. Pennsylvania Republicans recently tried to impose stricter ID requirements on military and overseas voters, a move that threatened to throw thousands of ballots into jeopardy just days before the general election. Their lawsuit sought to change rules that exempt military voters from state voter ID laws — an exemption in place since 2012 to ensure that deployed troops can vote without facing undue barriers. Thankfully, a federal judge rejected the lawsuit, citing its proximity to Election Day as well as its baselessness. But the attempt itself is alarming. It’s part of a broader strategy by Donald Trump and his allies to sow doubt in the electoral process.

The timing of this lawsuit — filed just as over 25,000 mail-in ballots were sent out to military voters in Pennsylvania — was reckless. The six Pennsylvania GOP congressmen behind it, all of whom refused to certify the 2020 election, claimed that the state’s exemption from voter ID rules for military personnel invites fraud. The lawmakers’ effort was backed by the America First Legal Foundation, the nonprofit led by former Trump White House aide Stephen Miller, which claimed that, under current law, “bad actors, both foreign and domestic” could “seek to benefit from the successful registration of fraudulent voters to cast illegal ballots.”

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The judge, however, dismissed Republicans’ claims as “phantom fears of foreign malfeasance,” criticizing the GOP’s last-minute attempt to change rules that have been in place for over a decade. But this isn’t just about one lawsuit or one state; it’s part of a broader, more dangerous agenda.

On Wednesday, Trump claimed, without evidence, that “Pennsylvania is cheating, and getting caught, at large scale levels rarely seen before,” adding: “Law Enforcement must act, NOW!” This is a familiar tactic.

Trump used similar claims to justify his refusal to accept the 2020 election results, including in Pennsylvania, which culminated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A majority of GOP House lawmakers voted to overturn Pennsylvania’s election results, objecting to the certification of Joe Biden’s victory there. Most of the congressmen in Keystone State’s Republican House delegation joined the effort, including all six who were part of the military voter ID lawsuit.  

Now, as we approach the 2024 election, Trump and his allies are once again setting the stage to try to discredit the results, particularly if he loses. The stakes couldn’t be higher. If Trump and his supporters can create enough confusion and doubt around the mail-in voting process — especially for military voters — it could lead to another constitutional crisis on Jan. 6, 2025, with the potential for even more violence. 

Trump’s control of the Georgia State Elections Board will further sow chaos, as those appointees have rewritten state rules to try to give county election officials the authority to arbitrarily refuse to certify election results. And as Rolling Stone reported Tuesday, there are dozens of pro-Trump election deniers serving as election officials in Pennsylvania.  

The broader Republican strategy here is clear: By undermining the votes of military personnel, elderly veterans, minority groups, and others who rely on mail-in voting, they are laying the groundwork for claims of a “stolen” election. This isn’t just undemocratic — it’s dangerous. The potential for another Jan. 6-style crisis should serve as a wake-up call to every American who values free and fair elections.

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My experience as a potentially disenfranchised military voter in 2000 is a painful reminder of how fragile our democracy can be when voting rights are contested. 

We cannot allow history to repeat itself. The attempted disenfranchisement of any American military member is a betrayal not only of the troops but democracy itself. There will no doubt be attempts by Trump and his allies to throw out votes cast overseas by military members and others. It is unmitigated hypocrisy for Republicans to claim they support the military while actively trying to suppress their votes. This is a fight we must take seriously — at the ballot box and beyond. As voters, we must reject efforts to undermine our elections and ensure that every vote, especially those of service members, is counted.

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If we fail to protect voters now, we risk undermining the very foundations of our democracy. We owe it to our troops, our veterans, and our nation to ensure that every vote counts — no matter where it’s cast. Come Election Day, let’s make sure those who tried to suppress military votes regret it at the polls.

Michael Embrich is a veteran, former member of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs’ Advisory Committee on the Readjustment of Veterans, and former congressional staffer.