Absentee Voting for Military and Overseas Citizens
Federal law requires states to provide military and overseas citizens with special procedures
to help facilitate voter registration and absentee voting by these citizens. The Uniformed and
Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) covers:
- A Member of the Uniformed Services on Active Duty (UOCAVA)
- A Merchant Marine (UOCAVA)
- A Spouse or Dependent of a member of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine (UOCAVA)
- A U. S. Citizen Permanently Residing Outside the United States (UOCAVA)
- A U. S. Citizen Temporarily Residing outside the United States (UOCAVA)
Electronic Voting Accessibility Tool (EVAT)
EVAT allows UOCAVA voters to access, mark, and print their ballots. The ballot must then
be returned to the voter's county voter registration office by mail, fax, or email. EVAT also
allows citizens who have not already submitted their Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to
upload their FPCA to become a UOCAVA voter. EVAT reduces the time it takes UOCAVA voters to
vote by eliminating the step of the county voter registration office sending the voter a ballot.
Using EVAT, the voter can access the ballot online, mark it, and print it for
return to the county voter registration office.
Click here to
access EVAT and begin the absentee process immediately.
Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP)
Military and overseas citizens can use the FPCA to register to vote and to request an
absentee ballot. Visit the Federal
Voting Assistance Program's (FVAP) South Carolina-specific page.
Once the FPCA is submitted and processed, the voter is tagged as a UOCAVA voter. This designation
lasts until the end of the calendar year it was submitted.
Military and overseas citizens can send and receive voting materials by fax and email. If you
wish to use the fax or email options, you must indicate this on your FPCA. Instructions for doing
so are found on the FVAP's South
Carolina-specific page.
Federal law requires absentee ballots to be sent to military and overseas citizens at
least forty-five (45) days prior to an election.
Military and overseas citizens can use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) if they
are concerned with receiving their printed ballot and returning it by the 7:00 p.m., election day
deadline. The FWAB is a blank ballot on which voters write-in their choices. The FWAB may also
be used to register to vote and to apply for the absentee ballot, all in one step. If the FWAB
is being used to register to vote, it must be received by the voter registration deadline. For
specific instructions, visit the
Federal Voting Assistance Program's South Carolina-specific page.
For general information on voter registration and absentee voting by military & overseas
citizens visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program's
website.