Military & Overseas Citizen Voting Rates Remained Steady Despite Pandemic
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — An estimated 47% of active duty military and 8% of U.S. citizens abroad voted in 2020, compared to 46% and 8% in 2016 respectively. These findings and more are part of today's update of the Federal Voting Assistance Program's (FVAP) State of the Military Voter and State of the Overseas Voter data, examining post-election research from the 2020 General Election.
Part of the U.S. Department of Defense, FVAP administers the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), which requires states to allow active duty military members, their eligible family, and overseas citizens to vote absentee in federal elections.
UOCAVA voters face unique challenges compared to local voters. FVAP again found the ability to receive and submit an absentee ballot on time can be an obstacle, made more complex in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Our research shows the pandemic most notably affected UOCAVA voters' ability to receive direct voting assistance and use international mail," FVAP director David Beirne said. "We worked closely with partners at the Military Postal Service Agency, the U.S. Postal Service, and the State Department to monitor the situation as it evolved and to share the latest guidance to help make voting for military and overseas citizens as smooth as possible."
The FVAP State of the Military Voter and State of the Overseas Voter data is released after each federal election year. Findings are based on post-election surveys and studies of voter file data.
For additional information, visit FVAP.gov, email vote@fvap.gov or call 1-800-438-VOTE (8683).
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Federal Voting Assistance Program
The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) is a Department of Defense (DoD) organization that works to ensure Service members, their eligible family members, and overseas citizens are aware of their right to vote and have the tools and resources to successfully do so — from anywhere in the world.
FVAP assists voters through partnerships with the military services, Department of State, Department of Justice, and election officials from the 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. State and local governments administer U.S. elections, including those for federal offices. FVAP supports state and local election officials by providing absentee voting information, materials, training and guidance.
Voters can contact FVAP's call center at 703-588-1584 (toll free 1-800-438-VOTE or DSN 425-1584) or at vote@fvap.gov. Find FVAP on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DoDFVAP and follow @FVAP on Twitter.
