Veterans Respond to Trump’s Plan to Eliminate Mail-In Ballots
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Earlier today, in a Truth Social post, Donald Trump vowed to eliminate mail-in ballots ahead of the 2026 midterm election. These undemocratic calls to eliminate voting access for millions of Americans are extremely alarming and pose a direct threat to the freedom that veterans across the country have fought for.
Common Defense, a national membership organization of military veterans and families, denounces President Trump’s remarks as a direct attack on democracy that would strip away voting rights from millions of Americans, including disabled veterans, active-duty troops, and military family members who depend on mail-in voting to cast their ballots privately and securely.
In response, Naveed Shah, Political Director of Common Defense issued the following statements:
"Eliminating mail-in ballots would inflict profound harm both for veterans, especially disabled veterans, and active-duty troops and their families. Military families, whether stationed overseas or stateside, often vote by mail. This would strip away a vital lifeline for democratic participation from the very people who fought for this country’s freedoms. Many veterans, grappling with service-related disabilities like mobility impairments or PTSD, rely on this accessible method to vote independently and privately from home, avoiding the physical and mental toll of in-person polling.”
“This change would disenfranchise veterans, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, rural residents, and low-income families who face transportation challenges or health risks. Ultimately, what President Trump is proposing would lead to increased voter suppression, widening inequities, and undermining trust in our electoral process, which is a disservice to the servicemembers and veterans who have sacrificed so much for our democracy."
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Common Defense Civic Engagement is a grassroots, veteran-led organization (501c4) that was founded in 2016. We empower veterans to stand up for our communities against the rising tide of racism, hate, and violence, to organize against the entrenched powers that have rigged our economy, and to champion an equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all. For too long, politicians from both political parties have attempted to use veterans as unwilling political props, and Common Defense serves as a home for veterans to organize and speak for themselves and support the candidates who truly share our values.