Pentagon Orders One-Day Voting Stand‑Down for Service Members as House Halts Impeachment Vote

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released a short video ordering a one‑day October stand‑down for all Pentagon personnel so they can vote in the November 3 midterms, saying the directive simply provides the opportunity to vote without influencing candidate choice. In the video he cited a Rasmussen poll showing 57 % of likely military voters would support the Republican ticket versus 35 % for Democrats. Earlier, Hegseth urged service members and eligible family members to register, noting roughly 300,000 service members remained unregistered and outlining how to use federal postcards and absentee ballots. Meanwhile, Rep. Thomas Massie’s impeachment proposal against Hegseth was halted when Speaker Mike Johnson terminated the House’s final day of session before a vote could occur, a move observers said avoided a historic impeachment of a cabinet official.