Republicans decry anticipated "fraud" in overseas voting

A new legal battle breaks out regarding foreign voting. Judges in the key states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina heard lawsuits - filed by representatives of the Republican Party - that claim election officials are improperly accepting thousands of ballots from Americans abroad, which could facilitate voter fraud.

Republicans argue that laws are being misinterpreted to extend voting rights to people not covered by the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). This group, which includes members of the armed forces overseas, their families and U.S. citizens living outside the country, could be key in elections, especially in battleground states.

However, state election officials insist they are following the law and accuse Republicans of seeking to delegitimize election results prematurely. In the 2020 election, nearly 890,000 Americans voted from overseas.

The federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act is violated

The focus of the Republican lawsuits is on interpretations that improperly extend voting protections to citizens who are not covered by the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). This law guarantees the right to vote from abroad to members of the armed forces, their families and U.S. citizens residing outside the country. However, in states such as Michigan and North Carolina, lawsuits allege that election officials are allowing foreign citizens who have never resided in those states to vote as long as they are not registered to vote elsewhere and their parents or guardians are eligible to vote there.

Former President Donald Trump has insisted that Democrats are using these ballots to commit large-scale voter fraud: "The Democrats are working so hard to get millions of votes from Americans living overseas. In reality, they're getting ready to CHEAT!" he posted on Truth Social.