Republicans have launched legal challenges in three battleground states over the past several weeks targeting the rules that govern ballots cast by U.S. citizens living overseas, including military personnel.
The lawsuits, filed in Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, argue that current overseas voting regulations are vulnerable to election fraud, claims supported by former President Donald Trump and his allies. The challenges coincide with allegations raised about noncitizens voting by Trump and supporters such as Tesla founder Elon Musk.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, left, and former President Donald Trump, right, attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The lawsuits take aim at the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, which critics say has been abused to allow people to register to vote online without providing valid identification, a Social Security number, or proof of citizenship and address.
Musk amplified his concerns in a post on X, asking in an Oct. 4 post, “Is this for real?”
Is this for real? https://t.co/S4WqdUXaGW
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024
Trump posted on Truth Social two days later in response to a thread elevating these concerns from Joel Berry, editor