Discrediting military members' votes through baseless accusations threatens their rights and the principles that support democracy as we know it.

Former President Donald Trump recently claimed that Democrats plan to send absentee ballots to military personnel and other citizens living overseas "without any citizenship check or verification of identity, whatsoever."

It’s these types of false claims about voter fraud that undermine our country’s electoral process. They also make it harder to pass needed reforms that would make it easier for the men and women who protect our nation to vote.

Legal reform for military voters is long overdue. Congress should expand the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) to standardize ballot return deadlines and guarantee ballot curing (the process for correcting a ballot that contains an error). Military families also need support and clarity about exercising their voting rights.

Don't neglect military personnel's right to vote

For a country that claims to value the contributions of its service members, neglecting their voting rights is unforgivable.

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Sarah Streyder, executive director of the Secure Families Initiative and a Space Force spouse, pointed out that attacks on mail-in voting are not just damaging in the short term but also erode trust in the system, which makes it harder to have meaningful, fact-driven discussions about the needed improvements.

“In 2020, military voters were (27 percentage points) less likely to vote than our civilian counterparts," Streyder told me. "Since 2020, we have observed states going in one of two very different directions regarding absentee voting. Some states have passed policies making that easy for our folks, while other states have imposed additional limitations."

She noted that Ohio shortened the window of time in which absentee military ballots can arrive and still be counted. Texas and Florida have added new identification requirements for absentee ballots.

“When you’re stationed far away from your voting residence," Streyder said, "you’re less likely to receive instructions about navigating new voter ID requirements that may be shared in that state's local media ecosystem."

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False claims about absentee ballots hurt the system

In 2020, political rhetoric about absentee ballots resulted in unnecessary scrutiny and delays in processing votes, particularly those cast by military personnel. Streyder said military voters felt demoralized by the aspersionsagainst UOCAVA.

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Military families deserve a voting process that respects their unique challenges and provides provisions that prioritize their participation. Anything less is a failure of the democratic system they defend.

It is imperative that election officials recognize the unique needs of absentee voters serving in the military and ensure that their votes are counted without prejudice.

Voting is not just a right − it is a civic duty that millions of service members have fought and died for. Discrediting military members’ votes through baseless accusations threatens their rights and the principles that support democracy as we know it.

The voices of our service members and their families must not be silenced by the very system they serve and protect.

Marla Bautista is a military fellow columnist at USA TODAY Opinion.