Military & Military Family Voting Resources
You serve the country. Your voice matters in it.
Military service can take you across state lines, overseas, aboard a ship, or far away from the place you consider home. That can make voting more complicated than it is for most Americans.
VALOR Media Network created this page to help service members and military families quickly find accurate, nonpartisan voting information from the federal government and trusted military-family organizations.
Patriotism is more than service in uniform. It also means participating fully in the democracy you are willing to defend.
No matter your politics, your party, or whether you belong to one at all: know your rights, know your deadlines, and make your own voice heard.
Start here:
First: Know Your Voting Residence
For military voters, where you are currently stationed is not necessarily where you vote.
Your voting residence determines the jurisdiction in which you are eligible to vote and which state or territory's election rules and deadlines apply to you. It can also be different from your current duty station or your military home of record. The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) recommends consulting military legal assistance if you are uncertain about establishing or changing legal residence because other legal and tax consequences may apply.
Do not assume that the voting rules where you are stationed apply to you.
Use FVAP's official guidance to determine your voting residence:
Find the Deadlines That Apply to You
Election deadlines are not one-size-fits-all.
Registration deadlines, absentee-ballot deadlines, ballot-return requirements, early-voting dates, and other election rules can vary by state and territory. Military life can make those calendars especially complicated.
Once you know your voting residence, use official election information for that jurisdiction to determine the deadlines that apply to you.
Don't rely on a social-media post, an old screenshot, or what worked at your last duty station. Check the current official information for your voting residence.
Active-Duty Service Members
The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) is the federal government's primary voting-assistance resource for service members, eligible family members, and U.S. citizens overseas.
FVAP provides military-specific resources on voting residence, absentee voting, state requirements, ballot assistance, and installation-level support. Military Voters FVAP.gov
Military voter resources
Absentee voting for service members
FVAP's military absentee-voting guidance also provides information for service members who have requested a ballot but have not received it, including information about the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot as a backup option when time is short.
Get Help From Someone on Your Installation
You don't have to figure this out alone.
FVAP directs service members and eligible family members to their Installation Voter Assistance Office, where a Voting Assistance Officer can provide forms, help answer absentee-voting questions, and assist with the process.
FVAP specifically recommends using installation voting assistance during major transitions such as a PCS, deployment, or return from deployment.
Military Spouses & Family Members
Military spouses and eligible family members can face many of the same challenges as service members: frequent moves, changing addresses, overseas assignments, and questions about where they are legally eligible to vote.
FVAP maintains resources specifically for military spouses and family members.
The National Military Family Association also maintains a nonpartisan military-family voting guide covering voting residence, military spouses, military-connected young adults, registration, deadlines, and preparing to vote.
Separating From Active Duty?
Your voting situation may change when you leave military service.
FVAP has specific guidance for service members transitioning back to civilian life, including information about updating your voter-registration status and what to do if you move after separation.
More Trusted Military Voting Resources
Federal Voting Assistance Program
Official federal voting-assistance information for service members, eligible family members, and overseas citizens.
National Military Family Association
Military-family-focused guidance on voting residence, moves, military spouses, young adults, deadlines, and voter resources.
https://www.militaryfamily.org/military-family-voting-resources/
U.S. Vote Foundation / Overseas Vote
A nonpartisan nonprofit providing voting resources for uniformed-service members, military families, and overseas voters, including assistance finding election dates, deadlines, and election-office information. Military Absentee Voting _ Over…
https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/uniformed-services-military-voting
You Already Raised Your Hand.
You volunteered to serve this country.
You accepted responsibilities that most Americans never will.
Democracy asks something of all of us, too: participate.
VALOR isn't here to tell you who to vote for or what to believe. That's your decision.
We're asking you to make that decision for yourself—and then make sure your voice counts.
Know where you vote.
Know your deadlines.
Learn what's on your ballot.
And cast your vote.
Your oath and your vote belong to you. Use both.
About This Resource
VALOR Media Network created this page as a nonpartisan voter-information resource for service members and military families.
VALOR does not endorse candidates through this resource. We encourage every eligible American—regardless of political affiliation or beliefs—to participate in our democracy.
For official information about voter eligibility, registration, absentee voting, deadlines, and election procedures, always consult the Federal Voting Assistance Program and the appropriate state or territory election authority.