Partisan actors in North Carolina and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits challenging military and overseas voters’ eligibility to vote in the 2024 election. Campaign Legal Center filed two “friend of the court” briefs on behalf of nonprofits that protect military members and their families’ freedom to vote.
Back to topIt’s been months since Election Day in 2024, but there is one race that still hasn’t been certified: the North Carolina Supreme Court.
In North Carolina, state Supreme Court justices are elected by the voters. In 2024, incumbent Justice Allison Riggs faced opponent Judge Jefferson Griffin for one of the seven seats on the court. After the votes...
Military and overseas voters already face more barriers than the average American in exercising their freedom to vote. For example, they must request an absentee ballot because they can’t vote in person, they don’t have the benefit of drop boxes, and living abroad can mean mail times are less reliable.
The Uniformed And Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) is a federal law that recognizes the unique challenges military and overseas voters face, and specifically protects their freedom to vote by guaranteeing that Americans who are living or serving their country abroad can vote from their home state in federal elections.
Recently, partisan actors filed lawsuits in North Carolina and Pennsylvania challenging state laws that expand on UOCAVA to further protect the freedom to vote for military and overseas voters, including their spouses, children, and other dependents.
These lawsuits, filed on the eve of the 2024 Election, directly threaten military and overseas voters’ freedom to vote by weakening the protections offered to them by their home state under both federal and state law. In addition, these lawsuits instill uncertainty among overseas and military voters about whether they can register and vote and, if they do, whether their vote will count.
Campaign Legal Center (CLC), on behalf of Secure Families Initiative (SFI) and, in North Carolina, Count Every Hero, filed two “friend of the court” briefs arguing that these lawsuits should be dismissed.
Brave service members, their families and other Americans abroad should have the same opportunity to vote as every other American. CLC, SFI and Count Every Hero filed suit to defend laws that protect the freedom to vote for Americans living and serving abroad. We urge the courts to take swift action in both of these cases so military and overseas voters can make their voice heard this November.
