FVAP Releases 2022 Post-Election Report to Congress
The Federal Voting Assistance Program's (FVAP) 2022 Post-Election Report to Congress confirms that the program's efforts continue to contribute to voter success among military members stationed away from home, their eligible family members, and U.S. citizens abroad covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).
To prepare this report, FVAP conducts post-election surveys and analyzes state and federal election data to evaluate the experience of military and overseas voters—and the impact that FVAP and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) resources have on their experience. This research provides key indicators about military voters, U.S. citizens living overseas, Voting Assistance Officers, and election officials during the 2022 General Election.
"The data and feedback from 2022 show that FVAP's talented staff developed and successfully implemented valuable resources and voting assistance so UOCAVA citizens could vote absentee from anywhere in the world," said FVAP Director J. Scott Wiedmann. "We look forward to seizing opportunities to further reduce absentee voting challenges for Service members, their families, and overseas citizens as we move into the 2024 election cycle."
Highlights from the 2022 Report to Congress
- The 2022 voter registration rate for Active Duty Military (ADM) was 63 percent, a four-point increase from 2018.
- The 2022 voter participation rate for ADM was 23 percent, a three-point decrease from 2018.
- The 2022 estimated voter participation rate for all overseas citizens was 3.4 percent, which is lower than the estimated voter participation rate for the 2018 General Election (5.6 percent).
- ADM who received assistance from a DoD resource (e.g., FVAP, Unit Voting Assistance Officers, and Installation Voter Assistance Offices) were significantly more likely to submit an absentee ballot than ADM who did not receive such assistance. This consistent finding across the last six general elections speaks to the importance and effectiveness of efforts by FVAP and the Services to raise awareness of available resources and provide direct assistance.
- In 2022, UOCAVA voters requested their ballots slightly later than they did in 2018, and general election ballots were also returned later than they were in the 2018 and 2020 General Elections. Of recent election cycles, 2020 had the earliest ballot return timeframe.
For 2024, FVAP will continue its work to help UOCAVA voters to successfully vote absentee and increase awareness about voting among the UOCAVA population. Pursuant to Executive Order 14019, FVAP will support expanded opportunities to raise awareness on voting resources for all DoD personnel and offer voting assistance materials in alternative languages.
View the full 2022 Post-Election Report to Congress here.
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For more information on FVAP or assistance with the absentee voting process, visit Fvap.gov , call FVAP at 1-800-438-VOTE or DSN 425-1584 (CONUS)/312-425-1584 (OCONUS), or email Vote@fvap.gov. Remember, you also can contact your unit or installation voting assistance officers for assistance during any step of the process. Find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/DoDFVAP , on Twitter/X @FVAP, and on Instagram at fvapgov .
