Hegseth orders military 'stand down' so troops get a day off to vote in midterms

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered all US military commands to “stand down” for one day in the next two weeks so service members can vote in November’s midterm elections, announcing the move in a video message posted to social media on October 2.

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

A Pentagon memo dated October 1 formalises the order: a one-day stand down every October in an election year, starting in 2026. Commanders must grant the day off no later than October 15 and offer similar scheduling flexibility in future election years, according to the Wall Street Journal. The memo states that “all voting assistance activities must remain strictly nonpartisan.”

A “stand down” pauses regular operations and lets personnel rest or go off duty; military-wide stand downs are rare. The most recent was ordered by former Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in 2021 to address extremism in the ranks.

Hegseth said the order is meant to make voting easier for troops, who he acknowledged face “time-consuming and complex” ballot logistics when stationed away from their home states. The Federal Voting Assistance Program cites a 24-percentage-point participation gap between service members and civilians, and Hegseth has said some 300,000 troops were unregistered in 2024.

The push is not without tension: Democracy Docket notes the administration previously eliminated a federal email-to-fax service that helped service members return ballots, while courts blocked other attempted mail-ballot rule changes for the midterms.

Sources: USA Today · Wall Street Journal · Democracy Docket