3. Targeting Military Voters Abroad – Trump’s Overseas ID Mandate Backfires

One of the more stunning provisions in Trump’s Executive Order was Section 3(d), which attempted to overhaul the voting process for military members and U.S. citizens living overseas under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). Trump ordered the Secretary of Defense to update the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to require documentary proof of citizenship and additional proof of eligibility. Sounds fair? Not quite.

The court made it clear that this mandate flies in the face of both UOCAVA and Congressional intent. UOCAVA was designed to protect voting rights, not create bureaucratic nightmares. It allows voters to submit a simple, signed oath under penalty of perjury—not dig up passports or hard-to-access records, especially from overseas.

The ruling emphasized how unworkable Trump’s demand was. What happens if a service member stationed in a war zone doesn't have access to these documents? Or if an American living abroad has a valid right to vote but lacks a current U.S. passport? Worse yet, the court found that Congress never gave the president the power to impose such documentation requirements on the FPCA. Trump’s order would have forced states to revamp entire systems for one group—military voters—who already face unique challenges in accessing the ballot.

Ultimately, the court sided with logic and legality. This wasn’t a matter of securing elections—it was a presidential overreach into a process Congress had already made simple, effective, and lawful. The FPCA was designed to be light and accessible—literally a postcard. Trump’s attempt to add paperwork and barriers to it was a legal misfire with potentially massive consequences.