Virginia State Board of Elections : Military and Overseas Citizens

Absentee Voting for Military Personnel, their families
&
Other Overseas Voters

• Effective July 1, 2008,  Military Personnel & their families serving overseas and other overseas voters are permitted to receive the ballot via email upon request, for more information
  

  The Secretary of Defense has Designated August 31 to September 7, 2008 is designated Armed Forces Voters Week as Overseas Citizens Voters Week, for more information
  You are a legal Virginia resident, but are not yet registered to vote, or need to change your voter registration, you may use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA)  to register to vote and apply for your absentee ballot  both at the same time.  After you complete the FPCA, sign it and then you may either mail it to your local voter registration office, fax it to the local voter registration office, or scan it and send it by e-mail as an attachment.  When you use the FPCA to register to vote, you must also mail the original FPCA so that it will be received by close of polls (7:00PM) on Election Day.  The original FPCA may be returned along with your voted ballot, so long as it is not inside the inner envelope that contains your voted ballot and your signed oath. You can print this application at the following website: http://www.fvap.gov/ 

Any Virginia voter may check a number of things on the SBE website, including their voter registration status, the status of their absentee ballot application, information on their elected representatives, and contact information for local elections offices.

Deadlines Applicable to Virginia Voters

1    Federal Post Card Applications from Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) voters (whether the application is sent by mail, e-mail attachment or fax) for the November 4, 2008 Presidential Election  must be received by the local election office no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Monday , October 6, 2008 for overseas voters who are not already permanently registered in Virginia, or who are only eligible for “temporary registration”.  (If you are a non-military overseas voter, who no longer has a Virginia place of abode, you are only eligible for temporary registration. ) Your local Registrar will determine if you qualify for all ballots (federal, state and local) or federal ballots only.

2    Applications for absentee ballots, whether by mail, e-mail attachment or fax for the November 4, 2008 Presidential Election  must be received by the local election office no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, October 28,2008 for absent voters who are already permanently registered in Virginia, or who are active-duty military.

NOTE:  In Virginia, absent active-duty military voters  and their spouse or dependents may register to vote by mail until Election Day. However if you intend to register to vote and request an absentee ballot, your FPCA must be received by the deadline for requesting your absentee ballot (October 28, 2008).

3    In-person absentee voters have until Saturday, November 1, 2008 to request and vote your absentee ballot  at your local election office.