An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | June 23, 2016

2 simple steps for military members to vote from anywhere

By Defense Media Activity

ARLINGTON, Va. -- 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 have your absentee ballot sent to you this election year.

Here’s how:

1. Register to vote and request your ballot with one form.

It’s called the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). You can get it at FVAP.gov or the Voting Assistance Office where you’re stationed. At https://www.fvap.gov/, select your State for all the info and materials you need. You can use FVAP’s online assistant to help fill out your FPCA. Or print it and fill it out by hand. Then send it to your local election official. Find the address at FVAP.gov to mail it. Or check if your State allows you to send it in by email or fax if that’s easier. For the General Election on November 8, plan to mail your FPCA by August 1, 2016 (or later depending on your State). Check https://www.fvap.gov/ for your State’s specific deadline. You have to send in a new FPCA every year to receive your absentee ballots for all 2016 elections — even if you’ve done it before.

2. Fill out and send in your ballot when it arrives.

Once you receive your ballot, fill it out and send it back to your local election official. Like the FPCA, you may be able to return your ballot by email or fax, so check what your State allows. For the General Election, you should receive your ballot by early October. And you should send it back by:

  • November 1, 2016 if you’re stateside
  • October 15, 2016 if you’re outside the U.S.
  • October 10, 2016 if you’re on a ship at sea

If you don’t get your ballot by October 8, that’s no problem. Get a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) from FVAP.gov or your Voting Assistance Office. Fill it out and send it like your regular ballot. After you send in your ballot, you can even check if it was received. Select your State at FVAP.gov to check the status of your ballot. he Federal Voting Assistance Program makes it that simple. Visit FVAP.gov; call 1- 800-438- VOTE; or email vote@fvap.gov to make sure you can vote from anywhere. Sign up for voting alerts at https://www.fvap.gov/ and check out FVAP’s Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DoDFVAP and Twitter https://twitter.com/FVAP.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Chadley Simms, infantryman, 1st Battalion-157th Infantry (Mountain), Colorado Army National Guard uses handheld counter-unmanned aerial system equipment to neutralize a simulated drone threat during a drone warfare familiarization course at a Fort Carson, Colorado, training range, April 15, 2025. The course, led by the Drone Warfare Cell, part of the Multi-Domain Special Operations Cell at 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), COARNG, paired traditional guard members with special forces to build interoperability and strengthen joint UAS threat response capabilities. (U.S Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Melissa Escobar-Pereira)
Colorado Army Guard’s Drone Warfare Cell Reshapes Warfighting
By Melissa Escobar-Pereira, | June 17, 2025
WATKINS, Colo. - As the battlespace continues to evolve, so too must the tools and training of those who fight within it. Among the quiet forces reshaping U.S. warfighting readiness is a specialized group called the Drone...

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Garret Carstensen, 716th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, helps Sgt. Luis Romero don protective equipment before carrying out an EOD clearance of a simulated weapons of mass destruction chemical lab June 9, 2025, at AJ Dock, Juneau, Alaska, as part of Exercise ORCA 25. The exercise is a full-scale all-hazards chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosives joint and interagency training exercise testing and evaluating the operational capability of the whole-of-government emergency management system. (Alaska National Guard photo by Maj. David Bedard)
Alaska National Guard Leads Exercise ORCA 2025
By Maj. David Bedard, | June 17, 2025
JUNEAU, Alaksa - Dressed in hazardous material protective suits, two Airmen from the Virginia National Guard slowly crept into a quiet building June 9 at AJ Dock on Juneau’s shore.Virginia National Guard’s 34th Civil Support...

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, maneuver through the trenches during Exercise Baltic Viking near Alūksne, Latvia, June 8, 2025. Large-scale Combat Operations involve extensive military engagements, coordinated strategies, and significant resource deployment across vast areas.  The U.S. military participates in multinational training and exercises across Europe to increase lethality and strengthen partnerships with NATO allies and regional security partners.
Baltic Viking Enhances Michigan Guard Support for NATO, Latvia
By Staff Sgt. Joseph Novak, | June 17, 2025
CAMP ADAZI, Latvia — U.S. Army Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Michigan Army National Guard recently conducted training with soldiers from NATO Multinational...