--- title: "Hegseth Urges Military to Register and Vote in Midterms" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/hegseth-urges-military-to-register-and-vote-in-midterms" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/hegseth-urges-military-to-register-and-vote-in-midterms" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/hegseth-urges-military-to-register-and-vote-in-midterms.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/hegseth-urges-military-to-register-and-vote-in-midterms" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-25T21:45:41.359Z" source_reported: "2026-09-25T19:53:00.000Z" updated: "2026-09-25T21:45:41.359Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 60 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-25T22:45:22.924327+00:00" --- # Hegseth Urges Military to Register and Vote in Midterms *Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promoted mail-in voting for service members and their families.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to named body, with figures and specific dates, but relies on anonymous sourcing for some claims. - Craft 60 of 100, higher is better. Reporting includes quotes from affected parties and states what happens next, but lacks a right of reply for all. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. Headline promises more than the body delivers, with mild emphasis and a lively but fair headline. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth encouraged U.S. service members and their families to register and vote in the upcoming midterm elections. - Hegseth stated that 300,000 troops missed registration opportunities two years ago. - About 67 percent of active-duty U.S. troops were registered to vote in the 2024 election, a decrease from 2020. - The Trump administration had previously attempted to restrict mail-in voting, a move that was halted by the Supreme Court. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has urged U.S. service members and their families to register and vote in the upcoming midterm elections. In a video message, Hegseth stated that 300,000 troops missed registration opportunities two years ago. He also noted that approximately 67 percent of active-duty U.S. troops were registered to vote in the 2024 election, a three-point drop compared to 2020, according to the Federal Voting Assistance Program. Hegseth's message supports mail-in voting, a process that the Trump administration had previously sought to restrict. The administration's legal efforts to overhaul elections, which included attempts to require states to use a standardized envelope design and submit voter lists online, were stopped by the Supreme Court. These changes would have allowed the U.S. Postal Service to refuse mail-in ballots from states not complying with the new rules. ## Disagreement on Trump administration's mail-in voting stance The Independent reported that President Donald Trump and administration officials argued their failed efforts to impose nationwide restrictions on mail-in ballots did not apply to military members. However, voting rights advocates and election law experts warned that there was no process in place to ensure the U.S. Postal Service would reliably deliver those ballots. The Independent also noted that White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales stated the SAVE America Act had exceptions for military use of mail-in ballots, but opposed universal mail-in voting due to fraud concerns. Trump himself has described mail-in voting as "cheating" and "inherently corrupt." ## What the coverage left out None of the reports below mention the specific legal challenges or court cases that led to the Supreme Court stopping the Trump administration's mail-in ballot changes. The digests do not provide details on the specific arguments made by voting rights advocates or election law experts regarding the postal service's role in delivering mail-in ballots. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 71% (5) - Centre: 29% (2) - Right: 0% (0) 0 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-25T22:45:22.924327+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-25T23:45:15.268Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports focused on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's promotion of mail-in voting for service members and their families, particularly in contrast to the Trump administration's past efforts to restrict such voting. The Independent's full report highlighted Hegseth's message that "Every warrior deserves an opportunity to cast his or her ballot, and be confident that it will be counted." These reports also detailed the Trump administration's failed legal battles to overhaul elections and the Supreme Court's intervention. The New Republic's headline framed Hegseth's message as a "Veiled Order to Military to Vote Republican in Midterms," and its digest noted Hegseth pointed out that the number of unregistered military members would outnumber the populations of multiple blue cities. ### Centre - The centre-rated report from The Hill led with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urging U.S. service members to register for the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. It noted that Hegseth mentioned 300,000 troops missed registration opportunities two years ago. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 1 - high: 5 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [The Lufkin News](https://lufkindailynews.com/news_reuters/national/pete-hegseth-urges-troops-to-register-to-vote-ahead-of-midterms/article_ec8917b1-27f8-5411-bc92-c309a32d815a.html) — Security Check - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/pete-hegseth-mail-in-voting-military-troops-b3056657.html) — Pete Hegseth promotes mail-in voting for troops after Trump’s attacks - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/pete-hegseth-mail-in-voting-military-troops-b3056657.html) — Pete Hegseth promotes mail-in voting for troops after Trump’s attacks - [USA Today](https://usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/09/25/pete-hegseth-urges-troops-register-vote-november-midterms/91940567007) — Pete Hegseth urges troops to register to vote ahead of midterms - [Joe.My.God.](https://joemygod.com/2026/09/hegseth-urges-warriors-to-register-to-vote-video) — Hegseth Urges “Warriors” To Register To Vote - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/policy/defense/6111626-pete-hegseth-dod-register-to-vote-2026-midterms) — Pete Hegseth urges troops to register to vote - [The New Republic](https://newrepublic.com/post/215887/pete-hegseth-veiled-order-military-vote-republican-midterms) — Hegseth Issues Veiled Order to Military to Vote Republican in Midterms ## Questions **What did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urge military members to do?** Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged U.S. service members and their families to register and vote in the upcoming midterm elections. He emphasized that their ballots would be counted and encouraged them to use mail-in voting options. **How many troops missed registration opportunities recently?** Hegseth stated that 300,000 troops missed registration opportunities two years ago. This highlights a concern about military voter participation that he aimed to address with his call to action. **What was the Trump administration's stance on military mail-in voting?** The Trump administration had previously attempted to restrict mail-in voting nationwide. However, they argued these efforts did not apply to military members. The Supreme Court ultimately stopped the administration from implementing changes that could have affected mail-in ballot delivery. **What percentage of active-duty troops were registered to vote?** About 67 percent of active-duty U.S. troops were registered to vote in the 2024 election. This figure represents a three-point drop compared to the 2020 election, according to the Federal Voting Assistance Program. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/hegseth-urges-military-to-register-and-vote-in-midterms. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Hegseth Urges Military to Register and Vote in Midterms", https://mediabias.news/politics/hegseth-urges-military-to-register-and-vote-in-midterms