Believe it or not, it matters a lot which form you use to register and apply for your overseas absentee ballot.
- The form, historically called the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), which you can access on the U.S. Vote Foundation website, entitles you to specific protections and special benefits as an overseas voter.
- U.S. Vote Foundation and Overseas Vote call it the Overseas Voter Registration and Ballot Request form. This single form functions simultaneously as your overseas or military voter registration form and absentee ballot request. You should complete and file this form every election year in which you want to vote.
- Only by using this form will you be entitled to federal program features, such as the choice of whether you wish to receive your blank ballot online, by email, or by post, among others.
- To learn more: please see “What Makes the U.S. Overseas Voting Program So Special?” for the full list of the program features.
- Active duty uniformed service members stationed outside their voting jurisdiction during an election, as well as their accompanying spouse and voting-age family members, are also entitled to use the Overseas Voter Registration and Ballot Request form.
- The Overseas Voter Registration and Ballot Request form, or FPCA, is a federal form that entitles you to vote absentee for federal offices, including U.S. President, U.S. Vice President, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.