Hegseth orders new Pentagon policy giving military-wide day off to vote

WASHINGTON, DC: In a first-of-its-kind move, the Pentagon has ordered a military-wide, one-day stand-down in October to allow service members to vote in the upcoming midterm elections.

The announcement came on Thursday, Oct 1, through a memo issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has introduced several new policies in order to transform the department.

Hegseth announces first-of-its-kind military-wide voting stand-down

The Pentagon has introduced a recurring one-day military-wide stand-down during election years to help service members participate in elections. The initiative will begin in 2026, with this year's stand-down to be completed by October 15.

Hegseth issued a memo directing commanders and supervisors at every level to conduct a one-day military-wide “stand-down” in October during election years, starting in 2026.

Hegseth said the order was part of a new and “apolitical” War Department “with all the right priorities.”

“Under the leadership of President Trump, we’re upholding things that are central to the defense of our republic and our American way of life, and we’re doing this because in the past voting for our men and women in uniform has been time-consuming and complex, as many warriors reside outside of their home state for obvious reasons,” Hegseth said in a two and a half minute video posted on the social platform X.

“They face unnecessary, difficult ways of obtaining, completing and returning absentee ballots while serving far from home,” he added.

Service members will receive assistance with absentee voting

The order is intended to give service members time to complete voting-related tasks, including processing and submitting Federal Post Card Applications (FPCAs) if they choose to register and request absentee ballots.

The Pentagon's order comes a week after Hegseth urged service members and their families to register to vote and exercise their voting rights in the upcoming midterm elections.

He also said that about 300,000 service members had not registered to vote in the 2024 election.

“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,” Hegseth said on September 25.

“All of these processes are straightforward and protected by law.”

Hegseth emphasized that he is not telling service members whom they should cast their ballots for.

“Now we’re not telling you who to vote for, but we will give you every opportunity to do so. It’s then up to you to exercise your right as an American to choose your elected leaders,” Hegseth said in the video.

According to the Federal Voting Assistance Program's 2024 report to Congress, 67% of active-duty military members were registered to vote in the 2024 election, down from 70% in 2020. The three-percentage-point decrease was not statistically significant.