Election Official Pocket Guide

Pocket Guide 

for Serving 

Military and 

Overseas Voters

Have questions? 

Go to www.eac.gov/uocava or www.fvap.gov/eo

for more information. 

Who qualifies as a UOCAVA 

voter? 

Specific groups of American citizens 

are covered by the Uniformed and 

Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting 

Act (UOCAVA). These groups are : 

• Members of the Uniformed

Services (Army, Navy, Marine

Corps, Air Force, Space Force,

Coast Guard, United States Public

Health Service Commissioned

Corps, and National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration

Commissioned Officer Corps)

• Members of the Merchant 

Marines

• Eligible family members of the

above

• U.S. citizens residing outside the

U.S.

• Process the FPCA and FWAB

forms according to state and

federal law.

• Notify voters if their voter

registration or absentee ballot

request is rejected.

• Send ballots to UOCAVA voters

at least 45 days prior to each

federal election. The Military and

Overseas Voter Empowerment Act

(MOVE) amended UOCAVA to

allow voters to receive a ballot

electronically.

• Accept voting materials from

UOCAVA voters by mail or

electronically, depending on state

law.

What are my responsibilities as an 

Election Official? 

Under UOCAVA, election officials 

are required to:

About the Pocket Guide

The Uniformed and Overseas 

Citizens Absentee Voting Act 

(UOCAVA) requires states and 

territories to allow members of the 

military, military family members, 

and overseas citizens, to register 

and vote in all federal elections. 

UOCAVA, requires election officials 

to follow special procedures when 

serving military and overseas voters. 

This pocket guide provides quickreference information for election 

officials as well as links to additional 

resources. However, there are many 

federal resources available to help 

election officials serve voters 

covered under UOCAVA. More 

information about serving UOCAVA 

voters can be found at 

www.eac.gov/uocava and 

www.fvap.gov/eo. 
What is the EAC?

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 

2002 established the U.S. Election 

Assistance Commission (EAC). The 

EAC is an independent, bipartisan 

commission tasked with helping 

Americans vote. The EAC works to 

ensure all eligible Americans can vote 

independently, privately, and with 

confidence in the election system.

What is FVAP? 

The Federal Voting Assistance 

Program (FVAP) is a Department of 

Defense office that ensures UOCAVA 

voters are aware of their right to vote 

and have the tools and resources to 

successfully cast their balloting 

materials. Some of the resources 

provided by FVAP include forms for 

UOCAVA voters, state-specific 

resources, trainings for election 

officials, and toolkits for 

communicating with voters. 

What is the FPCA? 

The Federal Post Card Application 

(FPCA) serves as a simultaneous 

voter registration application and 

absentee ballot request form. 

UOCAVA voters can use the FPCA as 

a single ballot request form for all 

federal elections during the calendar 

year in which it is submitted. State 

laws vary on how long this request is 

valid beyond the initial year.

Every state can accept and send 

election materials by mail and many 

states allow voters to submit their 

FPCA electronically. See 

www.fvap.gov to see your state’s 

submission guidelines. 

What is the FWAB? 

The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot 

(FWAB) is an emergency or “back-up” 

ballot available for citizens covered 

under UOCAVA. It is used to vote in 

any election for federal offices and as 

otherwise permitted by state law. 

To be eligible to use the FWAB, 

UOCAVA voters must apply for a 

regular absentee ballot early enough 

so that the local election official 

receives the request at least 30 days 

before the election or before the 

state’s ballot request deadline, 

whichever is later, and not have 

received the requested regular 

absentee ballot from the state. 

Some states allow 

UOCAVA voters to use 

the FWAB as a voter 

registration application 

and ballot request. Find 

your state’s information 

at www.fvap.gov. 

What is a Voting Residence? 

A voting residence is the address in the 

state in which a UOCAVA voter was last 

domiciled and continues to use for 

voting purposes, even if: • The voter no longer owns property 

or has other ties to that state.

• The voter’s intent to return to that 

state is uncertain.

• The voter’s residence address is no 

longer a recognized residential 

address. 

• Someone else is living at that 

address

Note: Voters can vote for federal 

offices without a change to their tax 

status, but voting for non-federal 

offices may result in state and local 

taxation.

For specific information 

for service members and 

eligible family members, 

go to www.fvap.gov.