Military/Overseas Voting
Military personnel
may apply for voter registration or request absentee ballots with a Federal Post Card
Application (FPCA) which
may be obtained from the Unit Voting Officer or the Service or State Department Voting
Action Officer. If an FPCA is not available, a FPCA may be downloaded from the internet
or you can phone or send a written request to the Supervisor
of Elections Office. Refer to Federal Voting Assistance Program website for
further form instructions.
Download Federal Post Card Application
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Notice:
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If
you are an overseas voter or are requesting an absentee ballot for an overseas voter,
please use the Overseas
Absentee Ballot Request Form
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Spouses
and dependents are considered to be of the same category of absentee voter as military
members and generally should follow the same rules.
U.S.
Embassies and Consulates can assist in completing, witnessing, notarizing and mailing
FPCA forms, absentee ballots, and other election materials. Federal portions of general
election and presidential preference primary ballots voted by persons outside the
U.S. are counted if postmarked no later than election day and received within 10 days
of the election.
MILITARY
Where
is my "legal voting residence?"
For voting purposes, your "legal voting residence" can be the state or territory where
you last resided prior to entering military service or the state or territory that
you have since claimed as your legal residence.
Even though you may no longer maintain formal ties to that residence, the address determines your proper voting jurisdiction. To claim a new legal residence, you must have simultaneous physical presence and the intent to return to that location as your primary residence.
Military
and their family members may change their legal residence every time they change permanent
duty stations, or they may retain their legal residence without change. This may mean
that the family's Uniformed Service member has a different legal voting residence
than his/her family members. A Judge Advocate General officer or legal counsel should
be consulted before legal residence is changed because there are usually other factors
that should be considered besides voting.
Can I vote in person where I
am stationed?
Military members may vote in the state or territory where stationed if they change
their legal residence to that state or territory, even if they live on a military
installation. Be advised that there may be legal obligations, such as taxation, if
you change your state of residence. Therefore, consult a Judge Advocate General officer
or legal counsel before making such a decision.
Currently
there are no provisions for personnel stationed outside the U.S. to vote in-person
where stationed.
My family members are not in
the military; can they also vote absentee?
The law entitles eligible family members of military personnel to vote absentee. Family
members are considered to be in the same category of absentee voter as military members
and generally should follow the same procedures. Family members of military personnel
residing overseas, who are
Additional
military election information is available from:
Director
of Federal Voting Assistance Program
Office of the Secretary of Defense
Washington Headquarters Services
1155 Defense Pentagon
Toll-Free 800-438-8683
Email vote@fvap.ncr.gov
OVERSEAS
CITIZENS
If
I do not maintain a legal residence in the
Your
"legal state of residence" for voting purposes is the state or territory where you
last resided immediately prior to your departure from the
Will I be taxed by my last state
or territory of residence if I vote absentee?
Exercising your right to vote in elections for Federal
offices only, does not affect the determination of residence or domicile
for purposes of any tax imposed under Federal, state, or local law. Voting in an election
for Federal office only,
may not be used as the sole basis to determine residency for the purpose of imposing
state and local taxes. If you claim a particular state or territory as your residence
and have other ties with that state or territory in addition to voting, then you may
be liable for state and local taxation, depending upon the laws of that particular
state or territory. Consult the Guide or
a legal advisor for information on probable tax obligations.
Can I register or vote in person
at the embassy or consulate?
At the present time, there are no provisions for in-person voting or on-site
registration to be conducted at