Federal Requirements
Congress has passed legislation twice in the last 40 years to make it easier for overseas citizens to vote. In 1986, Congress enacted the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), and in 2009, the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE) amended federal law to add even more protection for these voters.
Between the two laws, overseas voters, known as UOCAVA voters, can use a universally accepted federal form to register to vote and request an absentee ballot (the Federal Post Card Application, or FPCA) and can use a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) as a fail-safe voting method if they do not receive a regular ballot on time. These federal options supplement state-level registration, absentee ballot requests and voting options already available to UOCAVA voters.
Before the MOVE Act, half the states sent out ballots to UOCAVA voters so close to Election Day that voters did not have sufficient time to cast and return their ballots. To address this issue, the MOVE Act required election officials to send ballots to UOCAVA voters at least 45 days in advance of Election Day. It also required that election officials send voting materials to UOCAVA voters electronically if requested. State laws can exceed these minimum requirements, and some do.
FVAP, a program within the Department of Defense, works to ensure military and overseas citizens are aware of their right to vote and have the tools necessary to do so. FVAP has partnerships with all branches of the U.S. military and the State Department to reach voters living and working abroad. FVAP helps train Voting Assistance Officers at military installations and U.S. embassies and consulates all over the world to assist UOCAVA citizens with the voting process.