BS BULLETIN:

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a one-day military-wide voting stand-down in October.
• Commanders must hold the stand-down no later than Oct. 15, giving troops time to register, request absentee ballots or vote.
• Hegseth says the policy will continue during every election year and explicitly prohibits commanders from telling troops how to vote.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered commanders across the U.S. military to set aside an entire day this month so service members can vote.

The military-wide “voting stand-down” must be completed no later than Oct. 15 and is designed to give troops time to register, obtain absentee ballots, fill them out, mail them or vote in person.

Hegseth announced the directive Friday, saying service members stationed away from their home states can face practical hurdles that make voting more difficult.

“We’re not telling you who to vote for, but we will give you every opportunity to do so,” Hegseth said.

Under the order, commanders are also expected to give service members enough scheduling flexibility to help eligible family members with voter registration and absentee-ballot procedures.

The directive says no commander, voting assistance officer or other military leader may attempt to influence, direct or advise a service member or family member about whom to vote for.

Hegseth said the voting stand-down will not be a one-time event.

Beginning this year, the Pentagon plans to conduct one during October of every even-numbered election year.

He also pointed to the military’s use of stand-downs for other priorities, including then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s 2021 order temporarily pausing some activities for training related to extremism.

Hegseth framed his new order differently.

“So how about we make sure those who serve our country have every single opportunity to vote?” he said.

Federal data cited by Federal News Network show that more than 418,000 active-duty service members — about 23 percent — were not registered to vote in 2024.

MY QUICK TAKE

For years Washington could find time for mandatory lectures, mandatory training and mandatory everything else.

Hegseth found one more thing worth putting on the calendar: voting.

And just to make the point impossible to miss, the order boils down to this — here’s your day, here’s your ballot, now the choice is yours.

DBS WIRE SOURCES:

• Breitbart — Pete Hegseth orders day off for military members to vote
• Stars and Stripes — Hegseth orders 1-day stand-down for troops to vote
• Federal News Network — Hegseth directs troops to pause operations to vote
• OAN — Hegseth orders military commanders to conduct one-day stand-down
• UPI — Pete Hegseth orders day off for military members to vote