Military and Overseas Citizens Voting
Webpage last updated: August 5, 2025
A UOCAVA voter under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act is:
- a United States uniformed services member on active duty, or a Merchant Marine member,
- a spouse or dependent of the above, or
- a United States citizen residing outside of the United States.
Since 2016, the term “vote-by-mail ballot” is used instead of “absentee ballot.”
Registration and Vote-by-Mail Ballot Request
A UOCAVA voter may use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA)(Online Assistant or PDF form) to register. The other options are to register online or use the statewide voter registration application (Form DS-DE 39). An original signature is required when submitting a paper voter registration application.
The FPCA (Online Assistant or PDF form) is available through the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website. The FPCA can also be used to request a vote-by-mail ballot or to submit a vote-by-mail request and registration at the same time. Visit FVAP.gov/Florida for more information.
A request to receive a vote-by-mail ballot may also be made in person, by phone, through the supervisor’s website or other writing using the statewide vote-by-mail request (Form DS-DE 160) to your County Supervisor of Elections. See s. 101.62(1), F.S.
Unless you specify otherwise, your request for vote-by-mail ballot is valid for all elections through the end of the calendar year for the second ensuing regularly scheduled general election.
Mail and Track Vote-by-Mail Ballots
Supervisors of Elections must send vote-by-mail ballots to absent stateside and overseas military, and overseas citizens no later than 45 days before each election. The blank ballot may be mailed, emailed or faxed to you according to your request. To receive an emailed ballot, you must provide an email address to the Supervisor. You will be notified when your request was received, the estimated date your ballot will be sent, and when your voted ballot is received in the office. To track online your ballot request and return, use your County Supervisor of Elections website or access the county-specific link on our webpage Ballot Information and Status Lookup.
If Election Day is approaching and you still have not received your requested vote-by-mail ballot, immediately contact your County Supervisor of Elections. You may also use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) as a back-up. The FWAB (Online Assistant or PDF form) is also available through the Federal Voting Assistance Program. The FWAB can be used to vote in any federal, state or local election. (See section 101.6952, Florida Statutes)
Return of Voted Vote-by-Mail Ballot
A voted vote-by-mail ballot returned by mail, in person or on behalf of the voter must be received by the Supervisor of Elections no later than 7 p.m. (local time) on Election Day in the county in which the voter is registered. The Federal Voting Assistance Program provides specific recommended return timelines (see timetables at the bottom of their website) for absent military and overseas voters.
Overseas (military and civilian) voters only:
- An overseas voter has the option to fax back the ballot and signed Voter's Certificate. The ballot and certificate must be faxed directly to the fax number provided by the Supervisor of Elections. For further information, please contact your local County Supervisor of Elections Office.
- A 10-day extension exists for overseas voters for ballots returned by mail. The mailed overseas voter’s vote-by-mail ballot must be postmarked or dated by Election Day and received within 10 days of the election in order to be counted, provided the ballot is otherwise proper. This 10-day extension only applies in presidential preference primary elections, general elections, and special elections and special primary elections (by operation of section 100.191, Florida Statutes).
Additional Information
Further information specific to military and overseas voters is available at: https://www.fvap.gov including, but not limited to:
- FVAP Voting Assistance Guide (update in progress for 2026 Election Cycle)
- FVAP Residency for military voters
- FVAP Residency for overseas voters
