Tips for California's Military and Overseas Voters (PDF)

Thank you for taking part in elections while you are in the military or other uniformed service, or a civilian living outside the United States.

The information and resources on this page are intended to make participating in elections as easy and rewarding for you as possible. Here, you will learn the basic steps to become a military or overseas voter so you are eligible to vote when you are absent from your county while serving and/or living overseas and discover how state and federal laws work to protect your precious right to vote.

As a military or overseas voter who is registered to vote, there are several different ways you can request and receive your ballot and return your voted ballot and signed Military and Overseas Voter Return Envelope.

Who Can Become a Military or Overseas Voter?

If you are eligible to vote in California, you can qualify as a "military or overseas voter" if you are absent from the county in which you are eligible to vote and you are:

• A member of the active or reserve components of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard; a Merchant Marine; a member of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps; a member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps of the United States; or a member on activated status of the National Guard or state militia;
• A spouse or dependent of a person described above; or
• A U.S. citizen living outside of the territorial limits of the U.S. or D.C.

A military or overseas voter has the right to register for, and to vote by, a vote-by-mail ballot in any California election, including any general, special, or primary election for any federal or statewide office or state ballot measure, as well as in any local contest held in the California precinct in which the voter was a resident when they last lived within the territorial limits of the U.S. or D.C. or, for a citizen born outside of the U.S., in the California precinct in which the citizen's parent or legal guardian resided when the parent or legal guardian last lived within the territorial limits of the U.S. or D.C.

Register to Vote and/or Request a Ballot

Even if you are or were registered to vote in your county, in order to receive your election materials and vote when you are absent from your county while serving and/or living overseas, you need to complete the online voter registration application or complete the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) (PDF).

Need help filling out your voter registration application? Watch the two minute video below that was created specifically to assist military and overseas citizens with voter registration.

When you complete the online voter registration application or the FPCA, you can choose to have your ballot and the accompanying Military or Overseas Voter Return Envelope mailed, faxed, or emailed to you. You may even be able to download them from your county elections official's website. Check the list below for the options in your county.

The FPCA, as well as answers to frequently asked questions, is available from the Federal Voting Assistance Program. Members of the military can also obtain an FPCA from their installation's Voting Assistance Officer. Civilian overseas voters can obtain an FPCA at any U.S. embassy or consulate. You can mail or fax your completed FPCA to your county elections official. If you mail the FPCA, postage is pre-paid in the U.S. mail, including the Military Postal System and State Department Pouch mail. If you are already registered to vote and are only submitting an FPCA to register as a military or overseas voter, you can email your completed and signed FPCA to your county elections official.

Return Your Voted Ballot and Signed Military or Overseas Voter Return Envelope

Return your voted ballot and signed Military or Overseas Voter Return Envelope to your county elections official. Mail or fax (under certain circumstances) your voted ballot and signed return envelope following the Secretary of State's online instructions under "Mailing Addresses and Fax Numbers for Military or Overseas Voters".

If mailing: Your voted ballot and signed return envelope must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by your county elections office no later than 7 days after Election Day.

To make sure your voted ballot has enough time to arrive to your county elections official, we recommend you send it back by:

For military voters and their family members only: USPS Priority Mail Express Label 11-DOD provides free express mail service for federal general election vote-by-mail ballots. You can request to have this applied to your ballot at Military Postal Office locations (APO/FPO); it is also available at Department of State embassies or consulates.  This label permits ballots to be treated as express mail upon return to the United States and be trackable through the U.S. Postal Service. For more information, contact FVAP.  

If faxing: If you are living outside the territorial limits of the United States or are called for military service within the United States on or after the seventh day prior to Election Day, you may return your ballot by fax, but it must be received by your county elections office by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. If you decide to fax your voted ballot and signed Military or Overseas Voter Return Envelope, you must also fax an "Oath of Voter" form to waive your right to a confidential vote. This oath is in addition to the voter's declaration that is on the Military or Overseas Voter Return Envelope. Please use the oath form your county provides to you; however, many counties also accept the "Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) Transmission Cover Sheet (PDF)". Please check with your county before using FVAP's Transmission Cover Sheet.

Under California law, while you may receive a blank ballot by email, you may not return a voted ballot by email.

For additional information and resources, see the links on the left side of this page.