Hegseth orders military-wide stand-down so troops can vote

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth ordered all US military commands to stand down for one day in the next two weeks so service members can vote in November's midterm elections; he announced the directive in a video message posted to social media on Oct 2. "We're not telling you who to vote for, but we will give you every opportunity to do so," he said. A memo dated Oct 1 establishes a one-day October stand down in every election year starting in 2026, with all voting-assistance activities to remain "strictly nonpartisan." Source: USA Today, October 2, 2026, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/10/02/hegseth-troops-day-off-to-vote/92057241007/