A GOP push to restrict voting by overseas U.S. citizens continues before 2026 midterms

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For many American citizens living abroad, making sure their ballots are returned correctly and on time hundreds or thousands of miles away, back in the United States, can be tough.

But 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.

Some 2.8 million U.S. adult citizens living abroad were eligible to vote in 2022, the latest year for federal estimates. And with turnout for overseas voters long trailing that of domestic voters (3.4% compared to 62.5% in 2022), voting rights advocates fear GOP-led lawsuits and proposals could drive down participation even further.

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"It really stands out," says Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, president and CEO of the U.S. Vote Foundation, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for U.S. citizens casting ballots from outside the country. "I have to admit that 20 years ago when I got involved with overseas voting, I did not fast forward to this time where I thought we would be fighting for our basic rights. But it seems like that's what's on the chopping block here."

GOP officials are pushing to block voting by citizens who've never lived in the U.S.

Much of the current fight is centered on overseas citizens who were born abroad and have never lived in the United States, including those with U.S. citizen parents or legal guardians serving abroad in the U.S. military.

Thirty-seven states, plus Washington, D.C., allow these citizens to vote if a relative last lived in the state or territory before leaving the country.