The Democratic National Committee has sued the Donald Trump administration, alleging that it secretly changed a voting postcard used by US citizens living overseas, making it harder for some of them to register.
The lawsuit says the Department of Defense removed a checkbox from the form after declaring an emergency. The box was meant for US citizens who had never lived in the country but wanted to vote from abroad.
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These voters are often children of US citizens. At least 38 states allow them to vote if they have close family ties to the state, according to the lawsuit.
The DNC alleged that the administration made the change without following the required public notice process. The Department of Defense, which administers the form, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, AP reported.
“ These American citizens pay U.S. federal and state taxes, but now a years-old plan has culminated in a manufactured 'emergency' to justify impeding their right to vote in American elections and potentially disenfranchising them entirely,” the lawsuit said.
The checkbox has appeared on postcards sent to overseas voters since 2013. Some eligible voters are already registered and are expected to receive ballots for the November elections. Others can select different options indicating that they intend to return to the US or do not plan to return.
The number of overseas Americans who had never lived in the US but voted in the country was estimated at about 11,500 in 2016. The lawsuit said the number has likely increased since then.
The dispute centres on the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or UOCAVA. The law allows members of the US military and civilians living overseas to vote in federal elections.
The lawsuit comes after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth urged military personnel to vote in large numbers. Republicans have also filed cases in several states seeking to block overseas citizens who have never lived in the US from voting.
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Republicans won a case preventing such votes from being counted in North Carolina. Similar lawsuits remain unresolved in other states, including Michigan.
Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, a US citizen living in Munich, said her 28-year-old daughter was born a US citizen but has never lived in the country and votes regularly.
“If this works in slicing off a piece of the electorate,” said Dzieduszycka-Suinat, president of the US Vote Foundation, “wait until the next emergency.”
