Voting assistance is available for service members, their families, and foreign citizens under the Uniformed and Foreign Citizens Absent Voting Act (UOCAVA). The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) serves as an emergency backup ballot for those who don't receive their absentee ballot from their state in time. When requesting an absentee ballot, you must provide your current mailing address, even if you request your ballot by email, online or by fax. You must also select your preferred method for receiving your voting materials.
To vote in the 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. Sign and date the form. You can send the FPCA by mail, email, or fax*. To find out the status of your FPCA, contact your election official.
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. Foreign Uniformed Service members can request that the 11-DoD prepaid mailing label be applied to the general ballot. 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. If you are a citizen residing outside the United States and whose return is not secure, you can use the 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 legislative initiatives. To vote, type the name of the candidate or political party for each office. You can send the FWAB by mail or fax (fax only if you are in a hostile fire zone). See the federal election deadline table for the deadline to file the FWAB. If both are received before the deadline, only that state's absentee ballot will be counted. The Department of Defense provides a free express mail service to its election official for absentee ballots from general elections.
