WASHINGTON (AP) —Secretary of War Pete Hegseth orders a one day 'stand-down' to encourage the military to vote.
Hegseth made the announcement in a video in which he said the move was “apolitical.” It’s his latest effort to encourage Republican-leaning military members to cast ballots ahead of what’s shaping up to be a challenging election for the party.
Earlier this week, Hegseth said that if every member of the military cast ballots, they could out-vote heavily Democratic cities like Boston and Detroit. His department was also sued Thursday by Democrats over a quiet change that makes it harder for Democratic-leaning overseas civilians to cast ballots. Earlier this year, the Army reduced the number of its voting assistance officers.
Hegseth has also announced that the Defense Department will provide cybersecurity for November’s election, a function previously done by a civilian agency that’s been gutted by Trump’s budget cuts after its prior leaders challenged Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.