All eligible Active Duty members of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine, Department of the Army Civilians and Contractors CONUS and OCONUS, and all eligible family members of the above are encouraged to vote.
Federal Post Card Applications are due annually (by 15 Jan.) and anytime your address changes
In order to vote in the U.S. elections, you must:
- Be a citizen of the United States on the date of the election in which you wish to vote.
- Be at least 18 years old on Election Day. (Some states allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they will be 18 on or before the general election.)
- Have requested to vote, as required by your state of legal residence.
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986, or UOCAVA, allows certain U.S. citizens to apply to register and vote absentee in elections for federal office.
Citizens covered under UOCAVA include:
- Members of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine who are absent from their voting jurisdiction due to their service.
- Dependents of members of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine who are absent from their voting jurisdiction with the member.
- U.S. citizens residing outside the United States and its territories.
How do UOCAVA citizens vote?
- A UOCAVA citizen completes the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) Standard Form 76 to apply to register to vote in their state of legal residence, request an absentee ballot, and let local election officials know of any changes in address. A new FPCA needs to be completed annually, and whenever the absentee voter has an address change.
- The local election official reviews the submitted FPCA. After verifying eligibility, the local election official sends the applicant an absentee ballot.
- The applicant receives the absentee ballot, votes the ballot, and returns it to the local election official to be counted.
If applicants have not received an absentee ballot 30 days before the election, they should complete and submit the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) Standard Form 186. The FWAB allows voters to vote in all Federal elections provided they are already registered and have requested their absentee ballot.
The Federal Voting Assistance Program website www.fvap.gov is available to give guidance. There an absentee voter can learn about the voting process, and under the Quick Links fill out a Federal Post Card Application SF 76. This will register and request ballots for voters simultaneously from their state of legal residence. Absentee voters are encouraged to use the FVAP webite rather than hardcopy forms, as it provides greater legibility and reduces mistakes.
For further information or assistance, contact your Unit Voting Assistance Officer who will have the SF 76 FPCA and SF 186 FWAB and the latest Voting Assistance Guide. Also available is the Installation Voting Assistance Officer, Mr. R. Lee Herrera, located in Dillard Hall, Building 470. He can be reached at 573.596.2665 or by email at rudy.l.herrera.civ@army.mil.