Absentee voting is a great way to cast your vote before election day. It allows you to vote by mail or mailbox, and the rules and deadlines for who can participate vary from state to state. In most states, you'll need to request an absentee ballot to vote in every election, but in some states, you may qualify to receive absentee ballots on a permanent basis. To find out if you can vote absentee in every election in your state, visit the Can I Vote? website and choose your state from the drop-down menu. It will take you directly to your state's absentee voting page.
Make sure you meet your state's deadlines for requesting and returning your absentee ballot. Check your state's absentee voting deadlines and note if the deadline is when your ballot should be postmarked or when the election office should receive it. Military personnel and families who are out of their legal residence to vote can also vote absentee. However, foreign-born citizens who have never resided in the U. S.
may not be able to vote in absentia. Check the rules of the state where the person's parent or legal guardian last resided for more information. When requesting an absentee ballot, you'll need to provide your current mailing address, even if you request your ballot by email, online or fax. If you want your election materials sent to a different address or have a forwarding address, use the forwarding address space to provide this information. Your contact information is recommended so that your election official can contact you if they need additional information from you. You can choose to receive your voting materials by mail or email or online.
To vote in primary elections, you must enter the name of the ballot of the party you want to receive. Political party membership is not required if an absentee ballot is requested for the general election. You'll need to sign and date the form before sending it by mail, email or fax*. Contact information can be found in the local election offices section or online at FVAP.gov. A voter can also personally deliver the form to the early voting secretary no later than the eleventh day before election day. Once you receive your absentee ballot from your state, you must return it in accordance with the deadlines and requirements of the federal election deadline table.
For special federal elections, visit FVAP.gov for specific deadlines. You can send the state absentee ballot by mail or fax*. Contact information can be found in the local election offices section. If you don't have access to a fax machine to fax directly to your election official, you can use the DoD fax service to fax your ballot. Uniformed Service members abroad can request that the 11-DoD prepaid mailing label be applied to their general election ballot. A citizen who resides outside the United States and whose return is not secure can use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) to vote in every election for federal office.
All other UOCAVA voters can use the FWAB to vote in all elections for federal, state and local offices, including bills. To find out the status of your form or FWAB, contact your election official. Your election official will contact you if your form or FWAB is not accepted. Voting absentee is a great way to make sure that your voice is heard on Election Day! Make sure that you meet all of your state's deadlines for requesting and returning your absentee ballot so that it is counted.
