Military Voter Bill of Rights

If you are member of the United States Military stationed outside your state of legal residence, you are entitled to full voting rights under federal law and through the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) established by the U.S. Department of Defense.

No uniformed military personnel, spouse or eligible family member loses the right to vote when posted in another state, overseas, or deployed.

Know your rights!

Download the Military Voter Bill of Rights

1. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE

   You have the right to vote so long as you are a citizen of the United States over the age of 18 and reside in and meet the qualifications for voting in a state or the District of Columbia*.

2. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REGISTER TO VOTE

   You must register as a voter before you can vote. If you are not currently registered, you may register to vote AND request an Absentee Ballot at the same time with the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) that can be used for all states. All of this can be done online at the Federal Voting Assistance Program website www.fvap.gov/military-voter.

   When you click on your state of legal residence on the online map, you will be provided with an application and procedures, guidelines and timelines for registering for upcoming elections and requesting an Absentee Ballot.

3. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT

   If you are already registered to vote in your state of legal residence, you may request your Absentee Ballot through the Federal Voting Assistance Program website www.fvap.gov/military-voter.

   If you are not currently registered to vote, you can register AND request an Absentee Ballot online through the Federal Voting Assistance Program www.fvap.gov/military-voter.

4. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR ONE YEAR WITH YOUR FCPA

   When you register your FPCA online at the Federal Voting Assistance Program website www.fvap.gov/military-voter, this will extend your eligibility to receive a ballot for all federal elections for at least one calendar year.

5. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REGISTER YOUR FPCA EVERY YEAR

   Military voters, spouses and eligible family members should resubmit a new FPCA every year, or when they move to another duty station, or return from deployment.

6. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO A MAIL, FAX OR ELECTRONIC BALLOT

   Through the FPCA, you may request an Absentee Ballot by mail, fax, or electronically based on your state of legal residence guidelines.

7. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO RECEIVE A TIMELY BALLOT

   State voting officials must transmit an Absentee Ballot to you no later than 45 days before a federal election as long as your request is received not later than 45 days before that election.

   As state requirements vary, you should check www.fvap.gov/military-voter/registration-ballots for information about methods for returning an Absentee Ballot by mail, fax or electronically, including timelines for postmarks and receipt.

   If your state accepts ballots by fax or electronically, they must be received by the time the polls close on election day. If your mailed Absentee Ballot is received by the state’s deadline for counting paper ballots, it will be counted.

   All members of the military, spouses and eligible family members should register to vote and request Absentee Ballots as early as possible to ensure their voting rights will be honored.

8. YOUR SPOUSE AND ELIGIBLE FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE

   Your spouse and other eligible family members who meet the voting requirements of being a U.S. citizen over the age of 18 also have a right to vote if they reside with you on a CONUS or OCONUS post not in their state of legal residence. They also can register and request a ballot online with the FPCA. Further information for family members is found at https://www.fvap.gov/military-voter/military-spouses.

9. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO A WRITE-IN BALLOT IF YOUR BALLOT IS LATE

   If you have not received your Absentee Ballot 30 days before an election, you may complete and submit the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot to make sure that your vote is received in time to be counted. You can access a backup write-in ballot online at https://www.fvap.gov/fwab.

10. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO PERSONAL HELP THROUGH YOUR DUTY STATION

    Every branch of the military is required to provide personal voting assistance for each duty station, for CONUS and OCONUS posts. Your Voting Assistance Officer and Installation Voter Assistance Office (IVA) can be found through your command center or at https://www.fvap.gov/info/contact/iva-offices.

11. YOU HAVE A RIGHT NOT TO BE IMPACTED BY VOTER FRAUD

    If you have any difficulty voting or making sure your vote is counted, or have concerns with any kind of possible fraud, fill out the Voting Problems Hotline form at www.ProtectMilitaryVotes.org.

12. YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO UNDERSTAND MILITARY VOTING LAWS

    Since 1942, federal law has protected the voting rights of members of the uniformed services and citizens residing overseas.

    The 1986 Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Voting Act (UOCAVA) ensures uniformed service members, spouses, and eligible family members can vote by Absentee Ballot in all federal elections. Individual state requirements and guidelines differ.

    Further information on the UOCAVA can be found at https://www.fvap.gov/info/laws/uocava.

You are just an easy online application away from exercising your Constitutional right to choose your congressional representatives and Commander-in-Chief. Register and request your Absentee Ballot now!

Nowhere is the right to vote more sacred than when it resides in the hands of America’s warfighters. It is the responsibility of all citizens and government officials to ensure every military ballot is sent and received and each military vote properly counted. As the men and women of the U.S. military protect us here and abroad, we must protect their voices in the political process.

Amb. J. Kenneth Blackwell, ACRU Policy Board Member, former Ohio Secretary of State and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

Protect Military Votes is a project of the American Constitutional Rights Union. For more information go to www.ProtectMilitaryVotes.org or www.theacru.org.

* Residents of U.S. territories American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not eligible to vote in presidential or congressional elections but can vote in local or territorial elections.