Voting Assistance Program Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where can I get voting information?
You can obtain voting information any of the following websites:
The Federal Voting Assistance Program www.fvap.gov
The US Army Human Resources Website www.hrc.army.mil/TAGD/Voting
You can also obtain information from your unit voting officer or the installation voting office.

Q: What is my "legal voting residence"?

For voting purposes, "legal voting residence" can be the State or territory where you last resided prior to entering military service OR the State or territory that you have since claimed as your legal residence.

Even though you may no longer maintain formal ties to that residence, the address determines your proper voting jurisdiction. To claim a new legal residence, you must have simultaneous physical presence and the intent to return to that location as your primary residence.

Military and their family members may change their legal residence every time they change permanent duty stations, or they may retain their legal residence without change. This may mean that the family's uniformed service member has a different legal voting residence than his/her family members. A legal officer should be consulted before legal residence is changed because there are usually other factors that should be considered besides voting.

Q: How can I find out when the primary elections are in my home state?

Go the FVAP website: www.fvap.gov and click on the heading "Register and Request Your Ballot for Upcoming Primaries."  There you’ll find  a listing of the election dates by state. You can also find that information in the 2012-2013 Voting Assistance Guide.

Q: Where can I find information on issues and positions taken by the candidates?

In addition to reading U.S. news magazines and newspapers you can learn more about the candidates by going to the www.canIvote.org website. For those overseas both Democrats Abroad and Republicans Abroad maintain overseas offices and have information pertaining to candidates and issues.  Contact information is:

Democrats Abroad                                                                       Republicans Abroad International
430 South Capitol Street, S.E.                                                    1275 K Street, NW, Suite 102
Washington, DC 20003                                                                Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 863-8103                                                                Phone: (202) 608-1423
Fax: (202) 863-8063                                                                     World Wide Web: www.republicansabroad.org
World Wide Web: www.democratsabroad.org                          
Email: info@democratsabroad.org

Q: Do I have to pay postage when I mail in my absentee ballot?

Generally, all election-related materials are mailed postage paid from any APO or FPO mail facility, all U.S. Embassies and Consulates and any post office in the U.S. You must pay postage if the materials are mailed from a non-U.S. postal facility. As mentioned earlier, at present, there are no provisions to allow for submission of the FPCA through the Internet.

Q: Is it possible to Fax in my vote?

There are some States that allow electronic transmission of election materials.  Please check the listing for each state in the 2012-2013 Voting Assistance Guide.

Q: If I'm stationed in my state of legal residence, can I use an absentee ballot to vote?  If not, where do I go/how do I vote?

You should be able to vote absentee (since you are probably not physically in their precinct where you vote) but you must contact the Local Election Officials.  The LEO must understand that you are eligible to use the SF-76 to request the absentee ballot.  If you have difficulty, please contact your Unit Voting Assistance Officer.  If the VAO cannot solve the problem, please contact the Installation Voting Action Officer.  If you elect to vote in-person, you will need to register with local election officials and they will provide voting instructions.

Q:How can I find out who the Voting Assistance Officer is?

Each unit is required to appoint, in writing, a Unit Voting Assistance Officer (VAO).  Your unit chain of command should announce who has been appointed as the Unit VAO.  Additionally, each installation is required to have an Installation VAO.

New York City Military Entrance Processing Station 718-765-7308

New York City Army Recruiting Battalion – 718 630-4402

New York City Army Medical Recruiting Battalion – 718 630-4115

You can also contact the Installation Voting Officer at 718-630-4245 and located in Bldg 114, Room 112.