Trump's Trials - A GOP push to restrict voting by overseas U.S. citizens continues before the midterms

Episode Date: October 8, 2025

With the 2026 midterm election approaching, U.S. expatriates and their advocates say voting faces more uncertainty than usual, as Republican officials continue a push for more restrictions on overseas voters, including U.S. military members stationed abroad. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reports.Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

I'm Scott Detrow, and this is Trump's Terms from NPR. We're going to be doing all sorts of things. Nobody ever thought was even possible. President Trump has brought back string to the White House. We can't just ignore the president's desires. This will be an entirely different country in a short period of time. Every episode, we bring you one of NPR's latest stories about the 47th president, and now he is trying to remake the federal government.

Today's story starts right after this. In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life. Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people, helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michelle Martin. Americans living overseas are raising concerns about. their ability to vote in next year's midterm elections.

Many Republican officials are pushing to restrict voting by U.S. citizens abroad. It's an effort that affects both civilians and those in the military. And it began during last year's presidential election. NPR's Hansi-Lawang reports. For more than two decades, Kate Sable has exercised her right to vote as a U.S. citizen from Canada. The way it works is you vote in the state in which you last resided. So I'm a North Carolina voter. And so are her two adult sons. They were born abroad and inherited a right under North Carolina law

to register as overseas non-resident voters. Even though they've never lived there, I've always considered them to be Americans. They've always considered themselves to be Americans. But Sable and her sons are among the adult citizens living outside the country who are facing growing threats to their voting rights. That's because of Republican-led lawsuits and proposals to change long-standing state election rules, including in North Carolina. A legal fight started by a GOP candidate in a judge's race there was discussed by the state's election board in July. They are children of, say, a service member, and they've just never been back here. Who never lived in North Carolina?

Correct. And so therefore have no connection to it. Except they're a citizen, and that's the only. They are a U.S. citizen, and they have to vote somewhere. That legal fight ended with courts ruling that overseas non-resident voters are no longer allowed to vote in state and local elections in North Carolina, only federal races. In Arizona, a lawsuit by the Republican National Committee, is sure. trying to block those voters from casting ballots in both federal and state elections because it claims

that violates Arizona's constitution. The RNC declined NPR's interview requests, but said in a statement that allowing overseas non-resident voters to cast ballots, quote, dilutes the voting power of lawful Arizona voters, unquote. We should never, as Americans, I would hope, want to penalize children of those who serve for their parents' service and their service. Brandy Jones is a spouse of an active-duty Marine who helps elite secure families initiative. We should never want to take away a right for them because their parents chose to serve the country. Jones's group advocates for military voters, whom, like other overseas voters, may have a harder

time registering in the future. And it's because of other Republican efforts. We're also going to sign right now some executive orders. Eligible voters already have to sign sworn statements about their U.S. citizenship. But an executive order President Trump signed in March and a bill passed by the House representatives call for requiring applicants to show citizenship documents. Joan says that can be hard for families on the move. For it to be hard for us to vote, for it to be hard for our children to vote.

It's very disheartening to feel like you're being disenfranchised at the same time while you're making all of these sacrifices for the Constitution, for equal rights. There's no evidence of fraud. There's nothing that went wrong here. Susan Jedushitska-Swina advocates for overseas voters. at the U.S. Vote Foundation. She sees partisan motives behind these Republican-led efforts to restrict voting among a group that's becoming less military and more civilian.

Some people got their knickers in a twist that maybe overseas voters, their votes can't be controlled to vote for any one single party. In fact, the R&C claims in its Arizona lawsuit that allowing overseas non-resident voters to cast ballots inflicts a competitive injury on the party by adding to state voter rolls, quote, individuals who are disparate. proportionately non-Republicant. For Kate Sable and Canada, it's all made her reconsider the power of her and her son's votes. Contemplating the thought of not being able to or my children not being able to

just makes me realize how precious the right to vote is and just how important it is. As a citizen of a democratic country. Sable says it's an uncertain moment for overseas voters, but for next year's midterm election, she's committed to making a plan to vote. Anzi Luong and Pia Rue. Before we wrap up a reminder, you can find more coverage of the Trump administration on the NPR Politics podcast, where you can hear NPR's political reporters break down the day's biggest political news with new episodes every weekday afternoon. And thanks, as always, to our NPR Plus supporters who hear every episode of the show without sponsor messages.

You can learn more at plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's terms. from NPR.