WHY IS VOTING DIFFERENT FOR MILITARY MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES?
Voting in the U.S. is controlled and conducted by state governments who have various rules if a local voter is temporarily gone on Election Day, whether it's voting early, by absentee or at local polls.  Military voting is different because extended or overseas absences can prevent service members from using normal state voting rules. A special law, called the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or UOCAVA, requires that the states and territories allow certain groups to register and vote absentee in federal elections. 

WHAT IF I AM DEPLOYED?
 While a few deploying or deployed members may be able to vote at their local polls prior to departure or will return in time to vote at their local polls, most deployed members must use the absentee voting process if they want to vote. Local briefings during deployment processing should encourage deploying members to take a copy of two voting forms with them:  the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), or SF-76, and Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), or SF-186. The Voting Assistance Officers (VAO) at the Installation Voter Assistance (IVA) Office can help. The SF-76 is also available at the Federal Voting Assistance Program website. 

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE UNDER THE UOCAVA LAW?
All members of the U.S. uniformed services (on active duty), including Merchant Marines, their family members and U.S. citizens residing outside the U.S.

DO ALL MILITARY MEMBERS VOTE UNDER THE UOCAVA LAW OR CAN I VOTE LOCALLY? 
Military and family members stationed/working in their voting residence city and state may vote locally at the polls or use their state's absentee process. Each state has specific residency and voter registration requirements.  State rules, required forms and phone numbers for local election or voting offices can be found in the Voting Assistance Guide on the Federal Voting Assistance Program website. 

WHERE IS MY "LEGAL VOTING RESIDENCE?"
Proper legal voting residence is critical to ensure a state’s timely approval of the registration, absentee ballot request and transmittal of the ballot to the voter. Your voting residence is within your state of legal residence or domicile. It is the true, fixed address that you consider your permanent home and where you have/had a physical presence. 

State of legal residence and voting residence is sometimes mistaken for home of record. Your voting residence may be the same as your home of record but needs to be updated if and when you decide to establish a new state of legal residence. Military spouses and eligible family members may retain the sponsor’s or service member’s residency, keep the current established residency or take the appropriate steps to establish a new residency.

Consult the base legal office when claiming a new residence or domicile since there may be tax implications, in-state tuition rate issues and other factors to consider.  

Regardless of your legal voting residency, the election office needs your current contact information. The most efficient way to maintain your current contact information is to complete a Federal Post Card Application annually, with every change of address and at least 90 days before the election.