On a ship? In a combat zone? On base? No matter where you are, you can vote.
If you’re active duty and living away from your voting residence, you can vote absentee in the 2018 General Election. Here's how:
1. Register to vote and request your ballot
Fill out the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) at FVAP.gov and send it to your election office by your state’s deadline.
Find out how to identify the state where you should register, your state deadlines, how to contact your election office, and other helpful information at FVAP.gov.
Using the FPCA guarantees that your ballot is sent at least 45 days before the election, which helps ensure you can return your ballot on time. This special feature isn’t available to other absentee voters.
2. Fill out and send in your ballot when it arrives
For the general election, you should receive your ballot by early October. Send it back by the recommended deadline:
- October 26, 2018 if you’re in the U.S.;
- October 19, 2018 if you’re outside the U.S;
- October 2, 2018 if you’re outside the U.S. and don’t have access to MPS.
If you requested your ballot but have not received it, contact your election office to ask about the status of your ballot request.
If there isn’t enough time to receive and send back your ballot before the election, use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), which works like a backup ballot.
After you send in your ballot, you can even check if it was received by your election office. Check the status of your ballot at FVAP.gov.
And that’s it — you’re a military voter.
