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 NON-STANDARD DISTRIBUTION

COMDTINST 1742.3L

6 Jun 2017

COMMANDANT INSTRUCTION 1742.3L

Subj: COAST GUARD VOTING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Ref: (a) Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act

 (UOCAVA), Public Law 99-410

(b) Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), DoD Instruction 1000.04

1. PURPOSE. This Instruction:

a. Applies for the use of all active duty Coast Guard members and their family members. It 

encourages personnel to actively participate in the federal, state, and local electoral 

processes of their home states.

b. Promulgates information about the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) and 

implements the Coast Guard Voting Assistance Program (VAP) in accordance with 

Reference (a), Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), 

Public Law 99-410.

c. Establishes policy and assigns responsibilities for the development and implementation of 

the Voting Assistance Office (VAO) and procedures for persons to apply to register to 

vote at recruiting offices, VAOs, and accession points.

2. ACTION. All Coast Guard unit commanders, commanding officers, officers-in-charge, 

deputy/assistant commandants, and chiefs of headquarters staff elements shall comply with 

the provisions of this Instruction. Internet release is authorized.

Commandant

United States Coast Guard

US Coast Guard Stop 7907

2703 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE

Washington, DC 20593-7907

Staff Symbol: CG-1331

Phone: (202) 475-5372

Fax: (202) 475-5927

Email: 

HQS-PolicyandStandards@uscg.mil
COMDTINST 1742.3L

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3. DIRECTIVES AFFECTED.

a. Coast Guard Voting Assistance Program, COMDTINST 1742.3K is cancelled.

b. Military Civil and Dependant Affairs, COMDTINST M1700.1, Section 1.B. has been 

moved to this instruction.

4. BACKGROUND.

a. Reference (a) is a federal law that protects the right of absentee service members and 

overseas citizens to vote in U.S. elections by absentee ballot. The FVAP is a continuing 

federal effort to provide information about registration, as well as voting procedures and 

materials pertaining to scheduled elections, including dates, offices, constitutional 

amendments, and other ballot proposals. Additionally, FVAP educates voters on 

registering and voting by absentee process and in person in their home state’s primary, 

general, special, and run-off elections.

b. Reference (b) establishes general policies and assigns responsibility for administering this 

program within the Coast Guard. 

c. Responsibility for the policy regarding the Coast Guard VAP is vested in Commandant 

(CG-1) and the coordination and execution of the FVAP is managed by Commander, 

Personnel Service Center (CG PSC). 

5. DISCLAIMER. This guidance is not a substitute for applicable legal requirements, nor is it 

itself a rule. It is intended to provide operational guidance for Coast Guard personnel and is 

not intended to nor does it impose legally-binding requirements on any party outside the 

Coast Guard. 

6. MAJOR CHANGES. This Instruction identifies Coast Guard VAOs. This Instruction also 

now consolidates voting policy which was removed from Military Civil and Dependant 

Affairs, COMDTINST M1700.1, Section 1.B.

7. ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECT AND IMPACT CONSIDERATIONS.

a. The development of this Instruction and the general policies contained within it have 

been thoroughly reviewed by the originating office in conjunction with the Office of 

Environmental Management, and are categorically excluded (CE) under current USCG 

CE #33 from further environmental analysis, in accordance with Section 2.B.2 and Figure 

2-1 of the National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures and Policy for 

Considering Environmental Impacts, COMDTINST M16475.1 (series). 

b. This directive will not have any of the following: significant cumulative impacts on the 

human environment; substantial controversy or substantial change to existing 

environmental conditions; or inconsistencies with any Federal, State, or local laws or 

administrative determinations relating to the environment. All future specific actions 
COMDTINST 1742.3L

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resulting from the general policies in this Instruction must be individually evaluated for 

compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Council on 

Environmental Policy NEPA regulations at 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508, DHS and Coast 

Guard NEPA policy, and compliance with all other environmental mandates. 

7. DISTRIBUTION. No paper distribution will be made of this Instruction. An electronic 

version will be located on the following Commandant (CG-612) web sites. Internet: 

http://www.uscg.mil/directives/ , and CGPortal: 

https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/library/directives/SitePages/Home.aspx. 

8. RECORDS MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS. This Instruction has been evaluated for 

potential records management impacts. The development of this Instruction has been 

thoroughly reviewed during the directives clearance process, and it has been determined 

there are no further records scheduling requirements, in accordance with Federal Records 

Act, 44 U.S.C. 3101 et seq., National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) 

requirements, and the Information and Life Cycle Management Manual, COMDTINST 

M5212.12 (series). This policy does not have any significant or substantial change to 

existing records management requirements.

9. POLICY.

a. The Coast Guard is provided information from FVAP, http://www.fvap.gov/, to share 

with eligible voters regarding registration and voting procedures and materials pertaining 

to scheduled elections, including dates, offices, constitutional amendments, and other 

ballot proposals.

b. The right of U.S. citizens to vote is a fundamental right that is afforded protection by the 

U.S. Constitution. Every eligible voter shall:

(1) Be given an opportunity to register and vote in any election for which he or she is 

eligible. 

(2) Be able to vote in person or by absentee.

c. All persons assisting in the voting process shall take all necessary steps to prevent 

discrimination, fraud, intimidation or coercion, and unfair registration and voting 

assistance procedures. This includes, but is not limited to, preventing actions such as:

(1) Using military authority to influence the vote of any other member of the uniformed

services or to require any member to march to any polling place or place of voting. 

This Instruction does not, in any way, prohibit free discussion about political issues or 

candidates for public office.

(2) Polling any member of the uniformed services before or after he or she votes.
COMDTINST 1742.3L

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d. CG personnel involved in assisting in the voter registration or absentee voting process 

shall use the names of persons applying or declining to register to vote only for voter 

registration purposes and shall not release such information for any other purpose.

e. Commanding Officers of units may permit non-partisan voter registration activities by 

state and county officials, or groups, subject to all applicable VAO rules and regulations 

governing such activities.

f. For the purpose of establishing VAOs, every Coast Guard Base, the Training Center 

Cape May (TRACEN Cape May), and the Coast Guard Academy (CGA) must have a 

VAO.

10. RESPONSIBILITIES.

a. Assistant Commandant for Human Resources (CG-1) will:

(1) Ensure all personnel assigned to transition/relocation program offices are informed of 

the policies in this Instruction and are trained to provide materials educating 

transitioning personnel on their voting rights and responsibilities. 

Transition/relocation program offices shall work with a VAO to provide pre-printed 

notices that transitioning personnel may use to inform their election offices to update 

voter registration and that they are no longer covered by Reference (a). 

(2) Establish policy and assign responsibilities for the development and implementation 

of the VAP and VAOs.

b. Commander, Personnel Service Center (CG-PSC) will:

(1) Provide a liaison to the Department of Defense (DoD), specifically the Director of the 

FVAP.

(2) Chief, Personnel Services Division (CG PSC-PSD), is designated as the Senior 

Service Voting Representative (SSVR). The SSVR is responsible for Service-wide 

execution of the VAP. The SSVR will appoint a Service Voting Action Officer 

(SVAO) who, preferably, should be a civilian employee GS-12 or higher, to 

administer the voting program. 

(3) Ensure continuing command support at all levels for the Coast Guard VAP.

(4) Ensure clear channels of communication are maintained to expedite all voting 

information down to the unit level.

(5) Establish and maintain a voting homepage on the PSC website. This voting 

homepage will provide specific information regarding the procedures to order voting 

materials, as well as links to other government voting websites, including a link to the 

FVAP website. The voting homepage can be accessed at http://www.uscg.mil/vote. 
COMDTINST 1742.3L

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(6) Coordinate the distribution of voting assistance materials to the VAOs.

(7) Ensure Coast Guard Recruiting Offices are offering the Voter Registration 

Information, DD Form 2645.

(8) Comply with reporting requirements in Reference (b). 

c. Superintendent, CGA; Commanding Officer, TRACEN Cape May; and Commanding 

Officer, Coast Guard Recruiting Command, will:

(1) Offer the Voter Registration Information, Form DD-2645, to all new accessions and 

to anyone receiving services or assistance at the recruiting offices.

(2) Submit to the SVAO a monthly metric report regarding the summary report of Voter 

Registration Information, DD Form 2645.

(3) Ensure members departing from recruit training or the CGA, complete and forward a 

change of mailing address, Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request, Federal 

Post Card Application (FPCA), Standard Form 76, to their local election officials.

d. A Unit Voter Assistance Officer (UVAO) is an individual responsible for voting 

assistance at the unit level. The UVAO will provide voter assistance to military 

personnel, their eligible dependents, civilian Federal employees, and all qualified voters 

who have access to such installation offices. VAOs will be governed by the guidance in 

the IVA Handbook (available at: https://www.fvap.gov/vao/training/office-training) and 

shall also serve as voter registration agencies. UVAOs shall:

(1) Generally be located in a well-advertised, fixed location, consistent throughout the 

Coast Guard, and should be physically co-located with an existing office that receives 

extensive visits by service personnel, family members, and federal civilian 

employees. The VAO shall be staffed during the hours the installation office is open 

with trained personnel to provide direct assistance in registration and voting 

procedures.

(2) Be overseen by an VAO who will:

(a) Complete Federal Post Card Application (FVAP) training prior to assuming the 

duties of the UVAO.

(b) Supervise all personnel assigned to the VAO.

(c) Register in FVAP Administrative Portal, 

https://www.fvap.gov/portal/login/welcome.html

(d) Maintain communications with SVAO.

(e) Submit voting program metrics monthly to the VAO through FVAP 

Administrative portal.
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(3) Publish the location, address, hours of operation, phone number, and email address of 

the respective VAO.

(4) Provide written information on voter registration and absentee ballot procedures by 

providing the applicant with the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), Standard 

Form 76, and/or Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), Standard Form 186, (if 

applicable), or the Voter Registration Information, Form DD-2645, the attached 

instructions for those forms, and the State-specific instructions from the FVAP 

website.

(5) Provide direct assistance to individuals in completing the forms necessary to register 

to vote, update their voter registration information, and request absentee ballots.

(6) Provide training and voting assistance for units preparing for deployment where 

voting materials and accessibility to register may be limited due to at-sea or remote 

area deployment.

e. Commanding Officers (COs) and Officers-In-Charge (OICs) are responsible for the 

administration of the Coast Guard VAP within their command. It is the duty of each 

CO/OIC to:

(1) Designate a Unit Voting Assistance Officer (UVAO).

(2) Ensure that Federal Write-In Absentee Ballots (FWABs), Standard Form 186 are 

provided to units located overseas and to cutters anticipating deployment immediately 

prior to or during the scheduled election. These ballots supplement the FPCA as they 

provide a means of voting for Federal officials if the member’s home State absentee 

ballot does not arrive in time for the election.

(3) Ensure UVAOs attend an FVAP workshop during years with elections for federal 

offices. If the unit is not scheduled to receive an FVAP workshop, the UVAO should 

attend training at a nearby VAO, when possible. UVAOs at remote locations can 

access the FVAP website for training.

(4) Provide for suitable observance of the Armed Forces Voter Day and Week 

established for each federal election.

(5) Arrange for administering and attesting the oath on the FPCA and with the State 

ballot, where required. While any commissioned or petty officer may administer and 

attest such oath, it is recommended that a commissioned officer do so because some 

States do not honor the oath unless a commissioned officer attests to it.

(6) Take all reasonable measures to facilitate transmission, delivery, and return of 

FPCAs, ballots, envelopes, and instructions identifiable as balloting material to and 

from command personnel. All such mail originating from overseas should be 

returned by air mail.
COMDTINST 1742.3L

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(a) Ensure compliance with the Department of Defense Postal Manual, DoD 4525.6, 

which requires proper postmarking and expeditious processing of absentee 

balloting material.

(b) Ensure compliance with the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

2002, Public Law 107-107, which requires that vessels at sea conduct periodic 

surveys and report if any voting materials are awaiting shipment during the four 

months leading up to a general federal election. The Office of Information 

Management, Commandant (CG-61) will provide survey reporting procedures.

f. Unit Voting Action Officers (UVAOs) are designated in writing by their CO and provide 

factual, accurate, and totally unbiased information on how the service member and 

dependents may vote by absentee ballot or in person. It is the duty of the UVAO to:

(1) Complete FVAP training prior to assuming the duties of the UVAO. 

(2) Register in FVAP Administrative Portal, 

https://www.fvap.gov/portal/login/welcome.html

(3) Train and instruct the command assistant UVAOs in the conduct of their 

responsibilities.

(4) Provide adequate training and information on all aspects of the VAP, to include 

familiarity with the FPCA and the FWAB, and set aside periods prior to primary 

elections devoted to registration and voting procedures. Ensure that these sessions 

are available to spouses and eligible dependents.

(5) Retain records of training conducted at the unit level, including dates and attendees, 

for at least one calendar year.

(6) Encourage unit service members to access the FVAP web site (http://www.fvap.gov/) 

for all voting information and materials, when possible.

(7) Maintain an adequate supply of current FPCAs and FWABs for issue to every 

member and eligible dependent. Electronic versions are acceptable.

(8) Review the stock of voting materials and ensure adequate quantities are maintained 

on hand.

(9) Advise personnel on how to establish State voting eligibility and when, how, and with 

what frequency to request ballots.

(10) Contact VAO for any issues not covered in the Coast Guard VAP.

(11) Work with the CO to plan and establish an effective voting program. It is important 

for every member of voting age to know his or her State registration status and the 

specific requirements for a ballot.
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11. FORMS/REPORTS. The form referenced in this Instruction is available in USCG Electronic 

Forms on the Standard Workstation or on the Internet: http://www.uscg.mil/forms/; CG 

Portal at https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/library/forms/SitePages/Home.aspx; and Intranet at 

http://cgweb.comdt.uscg.mil/CGForms, and 

http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/forms/forminfo/forminfopage2084.html.

12. REQUESTS FOR CHANGES. Units and individuals may recommend changes via their 

chain of command using the Coast Guard memorandum to the Office of Military Personnel, 

Policy and Standards Division, Commandant (CG-1331): HQSPolicyandStandards@uscg.mil. 

A. S. McKinley /s/

Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve

Acting Director of Reserve and Military Personnel