JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
In order to vote in your state's primary or the general election, one must be registered to vote in that state and normally indicate which party they align themselves with for the primary.
A common misconception is that your state keeps your voting information through PCS moves. This is not true, as voting information can--and often is--lost. As a general rule, people should register to vote in their state of residence after every permanent change of station and every January to ensure their state has the most up-to-date information. If you haven't received a ballot in a while, that could be why.
Registering can be accomplished in several ways. Use the absentee voting system to your advantage. The Federal Voting Assistance Program (
www.fvap.gov) has an excellent on-line voting assistant that can automatically populate your home state's specific requirements, insert eligible candidates and offer you options for how to submit your forms and ballot.
On Joint Base Andrews, the installation voting office is located in the Base Library, Building 1642 on the corner of Brookley Ave and D Street. It is open Monday from 9 a.m. - 8 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. There is someone available to assist you at all times.
In addition to the installation voting office, you have several avenues of assistance if you have questions.
- Every unit has a unit voting assistance counselor who can help you and your dependents
- Contact the Andrews Installation Voting Assistance Office, at 981-VOTE (8683) or at usaf.andrews.voting@mail.mil
- Visit the fvap.gov website
THE ABSENTEE VOTING PROCESS
Step 1: Register and Request Your Absentee Ballot
You must register and request an absentee ballot in your State of legal residence by completing a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) according to your State or territory's specific instructions and submitting it to your local election office. Visit
www.fvap.gov or contact your Unit Voting Assistance Officer for assistance.
Step 2: Your Election Official Processes Your FPCA and Sends You a Blank Ballot
Your local election official will process your FPCA to determine if you meet the jurisdiction's residency requirements and may decide which ballot to send you. Your local election official will contact you if there are any questions or if your application has been denied. Therefore, it is important to provide your complete contact information on your FPCA.
Step 3: Vote Your State Ballot or Use the Back-Up Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) If You Have Not Received Your Ballot by 1 Oct
Vote and return your State ballot as soon as you receive it. If you have registered and requested your ballot by your State's request deadline (or at least 30 days before the election, whichever is later), you may use the FWAB any time before the election. A FWAB is a backup ballot that can be used if you requested your State ballot but did not receive in time to vote. Visit
www.fvap.gov or contact your Unit Voting Assistance Officer for assistance.