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Federal Voting Assistance Program

The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) administers the federal responsibilities of the Presidential designee (Secretary of Defense), under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) of 1986. The Act covers more than six million potential voters. The FVAP has three distinct goals:

  • Inform and educate U.S. citizens worldwide of their right to vote;
  • Foster voting participation; and
  • Protect the integrity of, and simultaneously enhance, the electoral process at the Federal, State and local levels.

The FVAP provides U.S. citizens worldwide a broad range of non-partisan information and assistance to facilitate their participation in the democratic process - regardless of where they work or live.

The UOCAVA requires that the states and territories allow certain U.S. citizens, as defined below, to register and vote absentee in elections for Federal office. These groups include:

  • Members of the Uniformed Services (including Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard);
  • Merchant Marine;
  • Eligible family members of the above;
  • Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service, and Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
  • U.S. citizens employed by the Federal Government residing outside the U.S., and
  • All other private U.S. citizens residing outside the U.S.

In Georgia, you can also vote in state and local elections.  For the appropriate form, click here.

The FVAP also acts on behalf of the Secretary of Defense to administer the Federal responsibilities of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which designates armed forces recruiting offices nationwide as voter registration agencies allowing eligible U.S. citizens to apply for voter registration, or apply to change voter registration data, at 6000 Armed Forces Recruitment Offices nationwide.

For more information, contact my office or the Federal Voting Assistance Program directly via:

Director
Federal Voting Assistance Program
Office of the Secretary of Defense
1155 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301-1155
Email vote@fvap.ncr.gov
Toll-free 800-438-8683