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Military and overseas voter information

Military and Overseas Voter Introduction

In 1986, the federal government passed the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) providing special registration and absentee voting provisions for military and overseas civilians. In addition UOCAVA authorized the use of the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB). The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) was created by the Department of Defense to oversee UOCAVA. In 2009 the federal Military and Overseas Empowerment Act (MOVE Act) and corresponding state legislation was passed expanding UOCAVA by further allowing a UOCAVA voter to submit one AV application for a calendar year, ballot(s) to be sent to the UOCAVA voter via email or fax, establishing a 45-day absent voter ballot delivery requirement, and expanding the use of the FWAB. In 2012, the state legislature passed PA 279 of 2012 further expanding the use of the FWAB to local and state offices.