Voting While Deployed: How Does It Work?

If a service member is deployed overseas during an election, are they still able to vote? I would be grateful if anybody could explain how the voting process works for deployed military personnel.

Absolutely, service members deployed overseas still have the right to vote, and the United States makes provisions for this.

The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), developed by the Department of Defense, offers assistance to military service members, their families, and voters residing overseas. The FVAP provides the resources necessary for these individuals to participate in elections while away from their home.

An important tool that FVAP offers is the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). The FPCA serves two purposes: it functions as a voter registration form and application for an absentee ballot. This means that when filled, the application registers you to vote and requests an absentee ballot for all elections in the calendar year in which it is submitted.

Once a service member completes an FPCA (which can be done online), the application should be mailed to the election office in the service member's state of residency. In turn, the election office will send an absentee ballot to the service member at the location specified on the FPCA.

On receipt of the absentee ballot, the service member fills it out, following the provided instructions, and mails it back to their state election office. It's recommended to do this as early as possible to ensure that the vote is received and counted in time.

One crucial thing to remember is that voting regulations can differ from state to state, so it's essential to understand the specific laws and deadlines in the service member's state of legal residence.

To make this process a bit smoother, the Military Postal Service Agency (MPSA) partners with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to ensure speedy delivery of absentee ballots to and from deployed military members.

Overall, while it may require a bit more preparation and planning, it's entirely possible for deployed service members to participate in elections back home.