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U.S. citizens forward deployed Sailors in Yokosuka are encouraged to talk to their command Voting Assistance Officer about absentee voting while overseas.
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act pertains to and safeguards voting rights for U.S. citizen who are 18 years or older and are active duty service members of the Uniformed Services, Merchant Marine, or commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; their eligible family members; and U.S. citizen residing outside the United States.
According to the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), the first step is to submit a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), which is a standardized application used across all states. The FPCA is used as both as a voter registration form and absentee ballot request form and will extend a person's eligibility to receive a ballot for all federal elections for at least one calendar year.
Information regarding elections, both federal and state, are released to commands through the command Voting Assistance Officer(s) (VAO) who are responsible for ensuring all military members, U.S. citizens working overseas, and their dependents have all the tools necessary to exercise their right to vote. Their duties also include getting the word out and encouraging everyone to vote.
"Get out and vote," said Chief Warrant Officer Jesus Chavez, the Voting Assistance Officer, or VAO, at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka. "Everyone needs to be proactive on this to ensure they can vote. We are here to assist, but we cannot fill out the forms for you."
Which elections a person is eligible to vote in is based on their voting residence within their state of legal residence.
FVAP.gov describes voting residence as "the address that you consider your permanent home and where you had a physical presence. Your state of legal residence is used for state income tax purposes, determines eligibility to vote for federal and state elections and qualification for in-state tuition rates."
Some state deadlines may have passed for local and state elections, but for personnel who have not already registered, "there's still time to register for Federal elections," Chavez said.
With the general elections right around the corner it is important to track your mail-in ballot and state and postal deadlines.
Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center (NAVSUP FLC) Yokosuka Post Office can begin to accept absentee ballots September 1, 2024.
Additional details will be provided at a later time.
If a person is worried about their absentee ballot not arriving in time to mail back by the deadline, a backup option is to use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) which is available on the FVAP.gov website. To use the FWAB, fill it in, review to make sure everything is correct, print it, sign it, and then mail it.
In the event that the absentee ballot arrives after having mailed the FWAB, FVAP.gov said to "complete and return it. If both the FWAB and state absentee ballot are received by the deadline, only one will be counted."
When mailing the ballot, postage is not necessary if using the postage-paid template on FVAP.gov which can be printed on any available blank envelope. However, FVAP warns, "some states require you to place ballots and FWABs inside an anonymous security/secret envelope."
FVAP also suggests, "When sending your voting materials, make sure you have two envelopes; one for the ballot or FWAB and one for actual mailing. Place the security envelope along with the other balloting materials inside the mailing envelope."
"Please don't just drop your absentee ballot in the post box," said Retail Services Specialist 2nd Class Dylan Hitchcock. Hitchcock is a Voting Assistance Representative and works at the NAVSUP FLC Yokosuka Main Base Post Office. "Bring it to your local military post office to receive a tracking number. That's how the voter will know their vote was received."
It is up to the individual to educate themselves on the issues and decide who they want to vote for, but for any problems or questions in regards to registering to vote, absentee ballots, or eligibility, then the command or sponsor's command VAO is the person to contact.
FVAP.gov also has a Frequently Asked Question page that may assist people with their questions.
"Go to FVAP.gov and select your state," Chavez said. "Just about every question you have is already answered there. Your command VAO can point you in the right direction."
For more information, please visit your command VAO, contact your chain-of-command, or visit https://www.fvap.gov/
Editor's Note: This story was originally written by Petty Officer 1st Class Kegan Kay of NAS Sigonella and localized for Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka to publish in My CFAY Weekly.
| Date Taken: | 08.07.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2024 21:11 |
| Story ID: | 477958 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 102 |
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