Americans living overseas, including active-duty members of the military and their families, say they're concerned about their voting rights after Republicans have filed lawsuits in three swing states in hopes of accepting and counting absentee ballots coming in from overseas.
"We are already hearing military voters from all states who feel discouraged from participating if they have concern that their ballot won't even be counted," Sarah Streyder, the executive director of the nonpartisan Secure Families Initiative, told reporters Friday, according to ABC News Saturday.
Streyder is in England, where her husband, a Space Force member, is stationed. She said that no matter how the lawsuits turn out, the damage is already done.
The lawsuits have been filed in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and North Carolina, where the Republican plaintiffs claim that there are loopholes in state laws that could allow people who are not eligible to cast absentee ballots overseas.
In Pennsylvania, the lawsuit was filed on Sept. 30 by GOP Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, Dan Meuser, Glenn Thompson, Lloyd Smucker, and Mike Kelly, all of whom are seeking reelection.
It accuses Al Schmidt, the secretary of the Commonwealth, and Deputy Secretary for Elections Jonathan Marks of telling local election offices not to allow ID requirements for foreign absentee voters.
They claim that the state's process would allow ineligible voters to register to vote without verification of identity, while still receiving a ballot by email.
The Pennsylvania Secretary of State's office said the lawsuit is "nothing more than an attempt to confuse and frighten people ahead of an important election," and that the state law ensures all overseas ballots sent out are to eligible people.
"Ballots cast by ineligible voters occur at extremely low rates and are routinely investigated and prosecuted by the appropriate authorities when they occur," the office said. "Individuals registering to vote must affirm that the information they submit is accurate, with any false statement subjecting them to a potential felony conviction, prison sentence, and substantial fine."
The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, filed lawsuits in North Carolina and Michigan last week, saying their rules violate federal laws and allow ex-pats to vote even if they never lived in those states.
They also allege that the states' election officials haven't created a secure verification system, calling out provisions that permit spouses or dependents of military or overseas voters to cast ballots based on the residency of the military member or voter.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed briefs to dismiss the case, saying the RNC has no standing in its claims.
"Their actions are a clear attempt to sow doubt about the integrity of the election and suppress the legitimate votes of American citizens," Nessel said, adding that the absentee ballots have already been mailed out and that the RNC didn't file papers about its intention to sue, a violation of Michigan law.
Patrick Gannon, a spokesman for the North Carolina State Board of Elections, also said the suit is without merit and that state law that allows military family members to vote in North Carolina's elections was adopted 13 years ago.
There was no information in Pennsylvania about how many ballots have been requested for the general election. In Michigan, more than 22,000 overseas ballots have been requested, according to the Secretary of State's office. So far, almost 8,000 have been submitted.
In North Carolina, 8,451 absentee ballots have been requested by military members, and 20,571 ballots have been requested by civilians living overseas, said the State Board of Elections.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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