Pentagon Alters Overseas Ballot Forms, Dropping 'Never-Resided' Option
The Pentagon's Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) submitted emergency requests in late August 2026 to remove a "never lived in the United States" checkbox from two absentee-ballot forms used by military and overseas voters.[1]
FVAP and the Pentagon said states may continue to process older versions of the forms if they contain the required eligibility information.[1] The change arrived just weeks before the Sept. 19, 2026 deadline when states must mail ballots to military and overseas voters.[1]
In late August 2026, the emergency filings formally proposed altering two core federal absentee-voting forms by removing the checkbox that has allowed U.S. citizens who never lived in the country to declare that status since 2013.[1]
The revisions come as Republican lawsuits in North Carolina, Michigan, Arizona and other states seek to bar voting by citizens who say they have never resided in the United States, a legal fight that has put overseas voting procedures in the spotlight.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- In late August 2026, the Pentagon’s Federal Voting Assistance Program submitted emergency requests to change two core federal absentee-voting forms.
- The new versions remove a checkbox for overseas citizens who have "never lived in the United States," a category present since 2013.
- States must mail ballots to military and overseas voters by Sept. 19, 2026, meaning the changes arrived just weeks before that deadline.
- FVAP and the Pentagon say states can continue to process prior versions of the forms if they contain required eligibility information.
- The changes coincide with active GOP lawsuits in North Carolina, Michigan, Arizona and other states seeking to bar voting by never-resided U.S. citizens.
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