Family and friends are vital connections to life back home for Service members and U.S. citizens overseas. During election years, many military and overseas voters cite family members and friends as important sources of voting information.
An easy way to help loved ones in the military or abroad to vote absentee is by referring them to the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), which provides tools and resources to ensure that American citizens who want to vote can do so from anywhere in the world.
Voters can visit FVAP.gov to find state-by-state official registration and ballot request deadlines, as well as information on completing a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), which is the registration and ballot request form, or the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), the backup ballot. Both forms are available at FVAP.gov and can be filled out with the online assistant or by hand.
The sooner voters register and request their ballot, the greater the likelihood they can successfully vote. That’s because ballots must be sent back before individual state deadlines, which vary from state to state.
Visit FVAP.gov, email Vote@FVAP.gov or call 800-438-8683 for more information.
—Robert Silverman is the editor-in-chief at StatePoint.
