1. Voter Assistance Training
DA Voter Information – Get Out the Vote Committee (2016)

2. Question: Have you requested your ballot this year?
Have you helped anyone else?

3. Just a reminder before we begin:
Voter assistance should be completely non-partisan.
 Use votefromabroad.org instead of Democrats Abroad banners, etc.

4. Alphabet Soup
We use a lot of acronyms when we talk about voter registration/absentee ballot requests. Here are some of them:
FPCA
FVAP
FWAB
LEO
OVF
UOCAVA
VAG
VFA

5. Take a minute
How many of those acronyms are you already familiar with?

6. Alphabet Soup explained
FPCA: Federal Post Card Application is the form used by overseas voters to register and/or request an absentee ballot. It can also be used to update contact information.
FVAP: Federal Voting Assistance Program is the federal program tasked with helping UOCAVA voters. is a good source of information and an online tool for voters to fill out the FPCA.
FWAB: Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot is the emergency ballot used by UOCAVA voters if their requested absentee ballots do not arrive in time for the election.
LEO: Local Election Official is the election official in the voter's voting jurisdiction.

7. Alphabet Soup explained (cont.)
OVF: Overseas Vote Foundation is an online tool hosted by the U.S. Vote Foundation for voters to fill out the FPCA.
UOCAVA: Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act is the law that provides the legal basis for military and overseas citizens to vote absentee for federal offices (i.e., for President and members of Congress).
UOCAVA is also the term used to describe these voters.
VAG: Voting Assistance Guide is the book put together by FVAP every election year with the rules and LEO contact information for each state, territory, and D.C.
VFA: is the website hosted by Democrats Abroad to help voters fill out the FPCA.

8. UOCAVA (passed in 1986)
52 USC Ch. 203: REGISTRATION AND VOTING BY ABSENT UNIFORMED SERVICES VOTERS AND OVERSEAS VOTERS IN ELECTIONS FOR FEDERAL OFFICE
From Title 52—VOTING AND ELECTIONS
Subtitle II—Voting Assistance and Election Administration
§ State responsibilities
(a) In general
Each State shall—
(1) permit absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters to use absentee registration procedures and to vote by absentee ballot in general, special, primary, and runoff elections for Federal office;
(2) accept and process, with respect to any election for Federal office, any otherwise valid voter registration application and absentee ballot application from an absent uniformed services voter or overseas voter, if the application is received by the appropriate State election official not less than 30 days before the election;
(3) permit absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters to use Federal write-in absentee ballots (in accordance with section of this title) in general elections for Federal office

9. UOCAVA consequences
Even though Federal law says that all U.S. citizens have the right to vote in Federal elections, voters must be registered in a state.
Voting from overseas is a two-step process:
voter sends absentee ballot request to voting state
not really any different than voting absentee from within U.S.
LEO approves request and sends ballot to voter about 45 days before the in-person voting day
decision to approve or deny registration/ballot requests is made by LEO

10. The FPCA

11. Purpose of the FPCA
Well, as it says right on it: "Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request"
The form can be used by overseas voters to:
register in a state for the first time
(since most states keep active voters on the registration rolls from year to year)
request absentee ballots
But, on a more basic level, what is the purpose of the FPCA?
Hint: Who is it sent to?

12. Take a minute
What is the basic purpose of the FPCA?

13. Purpose of the FPCA (cont.)
U.S. elections are run by the states and the FPCA is returned by the voter to his/her LEO.
 The basic purpose of the FPCA is to tell our LEOs who and where we are.

14. Take a minute
Consider the information required on the FPCA.

15. Information on the FPCA
In broad strokes, the FPCA asks:
who we are
where we are
where we were last (before we left the U.S.)

16. Take a minute
What are some of the voter groups found within the overseas voting community?

17. Voter Groups
students
recent expats
longtime expats
children of expats

18. Take a minute
Which piece(s) of the required information will be difficult for each group of voters?

19. Voter Groups
students
usually have state driver's licenses and know their social security numbers
know their voting addresses
 may not know their addresses abroad or may have difficulty receiving mail at a host address
can often use a mailing address set up by the study abroad program

20. Voter Groups recent expats
usually have state driver's licenses and know their social security numbers
know their voting addresses
know their addresses abroad
 this is the voting group that tends to have the easiest time

21. Voter Groups longtime expats
may or may not have a state driver's license and may or may not have social security number handy
passport is not a state-issued ID, but number can be used as a last resort
 may or may not know voting address
know their addresses abroad

22. Voter Groups children of expats who have never lived in the U.S.
 may or may not have a social security number
should register to vote at a citizen parent's voting address
14 states do not specifically allow children born abroad to register
can suggest that voter choose "my return is not certain" if the voter knows the state and feels comfortable with the decision
know their addresses abroad
(list of states that specifically allow children to register:

23. Information on the FPCA (cont.)
FPCA also asks:
for contact information
in case more information is needed
how the voter would like the ballot delivered

24. Take a minute
How often should a voter submit an FPCA?

25. Information on the FPCA (cont.)
How often should a voter submit an FPCA?
once an election year
default is to ask LEO for ballots for all elections within an election year
 students abroad only for spring semester should make a note in Box 9 that they will be back in the U.S. for the general election in November
send another FPCA if voter's information needs to be updated

26. Additional Resources
state submission deadlines, contact information, voter lookup tools
FVAP (
liaison between states and UOCAVA voters
shares information with VFA and other expat groups
election materials (including fill-in FPCAs)
training
(choose VAO and then No on first two screens)
overseas voter training (links on bottom of page):

27. Questions?
contact us at: