Day in the Life of a Military Ballot

Military Voter

Election Official

Step 1

Registration and Ballot Request via Federal Postcard Application (FPCA).

Step 1 : Registration and Ballot Request via Federal Postcard Application (FPCA)

Entity : Voter

Uniformed service voters can register to vote in their home state and request an absentee ballot using one form – the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA). To access this form, voters can navigate to www.fvap.gov on their web browser or request a form from their Voting Assistance Officer . They will simply fill their information on the form, review the accuracy of this information, print the form and provide their signature. The voter will then return the form via mail, email, fax or other means of allowable electronic transmission (varies by state) to their local election official.

FVAP

Step 2

Transmission of FPCA to local election official.

Step 2 : Transmission of FPCA to election official

Entity : Voter

Local Election Official

Step 3

FPCA received at local election official office.

Step 3 : Local Election Official Receives the FPCA.

Entity : Election Official

The military voter’s local election official will receive the FPCA via mail, email, fax or other means of electronic transmission. The official will open the mailing envelop and provide a timestamp on the document. They will then check the document for completeness. Once deemed complete or incomplete, the election official will either accept or reject the FPCA. If accepted, the election official will enter the voter’s registration information and request for an absentee ballot in the jurisdiction’s/state’s voter registration database.

Step 4: Determination of Voter Eligibility

Determination of eligibility to vote.

Step 4: Determination of Voter Eligibility

Entity : Election Official

Upon processing the FPCA, the local election official will determine a voter’s eligibility according to the state’s voter registration rules for members of the uniformed services.

Step 5

Preparation and transmission of ballot packet.

Step 5: Preparation and transmission of voter’s ballot packet

Entity : Election Official

Upon determining a voter’s eligibility and what election(s) a voter is eligible to cast a ballot for, the election official will prepare a voter’s ballot packet. Ballot packet contents vary by state; however, generally these materials include a voter’s ballot, ballot marking and return instructions, ballot security envelope or sleeve and a return envelope.

Once the ballot packet has been assembled, the local election official will transmit the packet to the voter according to the state’s guidelines for ballot transmission. The election official will keep record of who this ballot packet was sent to, the date of ballot transmission and the address to which the ballot was sent. In some states, this information is kept in the state or local voter registration database. If the ballot packet was sent electronically, the state’s electronic free access system will be updated to allow the voter visibility on the status of their ballot.

Allowable ballot transmission methods vary by state. Potential transmission methods include mail, email, fax or other means of electronic transmission such as a secure, online portal.

Although states have authority over ballot transmission methods, the Help America Vote Act mandates that all states provide some form of electronic transmission. According to the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, ballots must be transmitted to voters no later than 45 days before a federal election.

Step 6

Voter receives and marks ballot

Step 6: Voter receives and marks ballot

Entity : Voter

When the voter receives their ballot package, they will open and read all instructions contained with the ballot. After understanding the ballot measures and providing their personal information, the voter will make their candidate selections. The voter will then sign their ballot and the accompanying affidavit. The ballot will be placed in the secrecy envelope or sleeve provided prior to being placed inside the pre-labeled and pre-addressed return envelope.

Step 7

Voter returns marked ballot to local election official.

Step 7: Voter returns marked ballot to local election official

Entity : Voter

Once a ballot is placed inside the return envelope, the ballot will be transmitted to the voter’s local election official by being placed in an international mail service. If the voter is returning their ballot via fax or other means of electronic transmission, the ballot will either be scanned and uploaded for transmission or scanned by their fax machine.

Step 8

Preliminary processing of voted ballot

Step 8: Preliminary processing of voted ballot

Entity : Election Official

If the voter’s ballot is received before the state’s deadline (this information is typically gathered by identifying the mailing postmark date on the envelope), the election official will begin completing any “official use only” sections on the envelope.

The election official will then open the outer envelope to determine whether it contains a marked or unmarked ballot and then log it in the appropriate database. The jurisdiction’s electronic free access system will be updated, giving the voter visibility on the status of their ballot.

The ballot is then placed in a secured container or transported to a secured location to await ballot counting. In many states, ballots cannot be counted or further processed until election day or a specified time before election day.

Step 9

Ballot Counting

Step 9: Ballot Counting

Entity : Election Official

On election day, or within the timeframe designated by state law for the counting of absentee ballots, the election official will first remove the ballot from its secured container. The official will then examine the affidavit/statement of voter for completion.

Once completion has been verified, the election official will mark the poll book or absentee voting list that the voter has voted.

For ballots returned via mail, the ballot envelope will be opened and hand counted or placed into the tabulator for counting depending on the jurisdiction. For ballots returned electronically, the ballot will either be printed or duplicated and then inserted into ballot tabulators or hand counted, depending on the jurisdiction.

Step 9.1

Ballot Duplication/Transcription/Remaking/Replication

Step 9.1: Ballot Duplication/Transcription/Remaking/Replication

Ballots that are unable to be read by tabulating machines require duplication. Ballot duplication involves replacing a machine un-reabable ballot – often due to damage; improper marking; or printing of ballot on incorrect paper stock quality, size, weight, landscape or orientation – with a “clean ballot” that preserves the voter’s choices and can be read by tabulators. Damage or improper marking most often occurs when a uniformed services voter requests a ballot electronically and prints the ballot themselves. For more information on reasons for ballot duplication and how the process so conducted read here.

The election official will update the electronic free access system that the voter’s ballot has been counted.

The ballot will then be stored in a secured container or transported to a secured location to be stored for the amount of time designated by state statute for retention of voted ballots.

More Information

Step 10

Voter checks ballot status and verifies their vote has been counted

Step 10: Voter checks ballot status and verifies their vote has been counted

Entity : Voter

Following the close of polls on election day, the military voter can navigate to their state or local jurisdiction’s website to check the status of their ballot via the electronic free access system. A voter may also call their local election official to verify the status of their ballot.