Military and Overseas Voters

Massachusetts citizens who are in the military or overseas can vote in all elections.

Citizens deployed, stationed outside of Massachusetts, or living overseas have their right to vote protected by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).

If you are a military or overseas voter, you are exempt from voter registration requirements in Massachusetts. In order to get your ballot, you simply need to submit an absentee ballot application.

Military Voters

You can vote by absentee ballot if:

• You’re a member of the United States Military on active duty.
• You’re a dependent family member of someone on active duty.

If you’re a member of the military stationed in Massachusetts, you can register to vote in Massachusetts.

If you lived in Massachusetts before being called to active duty and you haven’t registered elsewhere, you can vote by absentee ballot in Massachusetts elections.

Members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard (including reservists on active duty), and the merchant marine are all eligible military voters.

Overseas Citizens

If you’re a United States citizen living overseas, you can vote in U.S. elections. You can vote using the address from your last residence in the United States. If you’re a citizen who has never lived in the U.S., you can vote from your qualifying parent’s last U.S. address.

Applying for your Ballot

If you’d like to get an absentee ballot, you can:

• Apply with the Federal Post Card Application or
• Apply with the Massachusetts Absentee Ballot Application or
• Send a written request for an absentee ballot to your local election office

Any application has to be sent to your local election office. You must handwrite your signatures. Typed signatures won’t be accepted. You can scan the form if you would like to email it.

Your absentee ballot application is valid until December 31 of the year that you submit it. You will need to submit a new absentee ballot application every year in which you want to vote.

Voting

You’ll receive a ballot with the same races as all other Massachusetts voters.

You can choose to receive your ballot through an online portal, by fax, or by mail. There is a space on the Federal Post Card Application where you can mark how you’d like to receive your ballot. You can also choose to return your ballot by email/online, by fax, or by mail.

If you do not receive your ballot in time, you can submit a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) by email or fax. A FWAB is a blank ballot that you can use for any election.

Returning Your Ballot

Ballot deadlines are different depending on the type of election and how you return your ballot. Deadlines for electronic return (email, online, and fax) may differ from deadlines for ballots returned by mail. Below is a list of deadlines by type of election.

For local elections, you can check with your local election office about what time polls close.

State and Federal Elections

Regular Election

• Electronic return:
  • 8 p.m. on Election Day
• Mailed from inside the U.S.:
  • Postmarked by Election Day
  • Received by 5 p.m. on the third day after Election Day
• Mailed from outside the United States:
  • Postmarked by Election Day
  • Received by 5 p.m. on the tenth day after Election Day

Special Election

• Electronic return:
  • 8 p.m. on Election Day
• Mailed from inside the U.S.:
  • 8 p.m. on Election Day
• Mailed from outside the United States:
  • Postmarked by Election Day
  • Received by 5 p.m. on the tenth day after Election Day

State and Federal Primaries

City Elections

General Election

• Electronic return:
  • Close of polls on Election Day
• Mailed from inside the U.S.:
  • Close of polls on Election Day
• Mailed from outside the United States:
  • Postmarked by Election Day
  • Received by 5 p.m. on the tenth day after Election Day

Preliminary Election

Town Elections

Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot

The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) is a ballot of last resort. If you were not able to apply or receive your ballot in time, you may submit a FWAB.

The FWAB is a blank ballot, which you may use to vote for any candidates or ballot questions.

You may use a FWAB for any election, whether or not you have applied for a ballot. A FWAB may be submitted by mail, email or fax.

Resources

The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) is a federal agency which exists to help military and overseas citizens exercise their voting rights.

Visit www.FVAP.gov for information and forms, including the Federal Post Card Application and the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot.