JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
As a service member and military spouse, moving to a new state or country is part of the military life cycle.
Service members and eligible family members living away from their voting residence can vote absentee. First-time voters and voters who’ve used absentee ballots in the past are encouraged to complete a Federal Post Card Application, or FPCA, each year to send their vote home.
Since service members and their families tend to move frequently, the Federal Voting Assistance Program, or FVAP, recommends registering with your state of legal residency annually and every time you have an address change to ensure you receive your absentee ballot.
The Military Spouse Residency Relief Act, or MSRRA, now allows you to use the same residence that your service member has established as your voter residence — even if you’ve never been physically present there.
Voters are encouraged to check with their voting residence state to confirm voter registration and ballot deadlines. Each state is different, and some deadlines are as early as Oct. 9. Find your state’s deadline, election office’s contact, and other helpful information at FVAP.gov.
Those who submitted their FPCA in August should receive a ballot by early October. Vote and send your ballot back to your voting jurisdiction as soon as you receive it. The recommended vote-by dates are Oct. 24, 2022, if you’re outside the U.S., and Oct. 31, 2022, if you’re stateside.
If you requested your ballot but haven’t received it, contact your election office to ask about the status of your ballot request.
If there isn’t enough time to receive and send back your ballot before the election, use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot, or FWAB. It works like a backup ballot. If your official absentee ballot arrives after sending in the FWAB, fill out and send in the official ballot too, only one will be counted. After you send in your vote, you can check if your election office received it.
Service members and their families who need assistance with voting can contact their Unit Voting Assistance Officer or the Installation Voter Assistance Office, located at the Military & Family Readiness Centers:
JBSA-Fort Sam Houston
3060 Stanley Rd., building 2797
210-221-2705
802fss.fsvr.vote@us.af.mil
JBSA-Lackland
1550 Wurtsmith St., building 5725
210-671-3723
lackland.vote@us.af.mil
JBSA-Randolph
555 F Street West, building 693
210-652-5321
Randolph.vote@us.af.mil