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| Long title | An Act to consolidate and improve provisions of law relating to absentee registration and voting in elections for Federal office by members of uniformed services and persons who reside overseas. |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986 |
| Enacted by | the 99th United States Congress |
| Effective | August 28, 1986 |
| Citations | |
| Public law | 99-410 |
| Statutes at Large | 100 Stat. 924 |
| Codification | |
| Titles amended | 42 U.S.C.: Public Health and Social Welfare transferred to 52 U.S.C.: Voting and Elections |
| U.S.C. sections created | 42 U.S.C. ch. 20, subch. I-G § 1973ff et seq. transferred to 52 U.S.C. §§ 20301–20311 |
| Legislative history | |
| |
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), P.L. 99-410, 52 U.S.C. §§ 20301–20311, 39 U.S.C. § 3406, 18 U.S.C. §§ 608–609, is a United States federal law dealing with elections and voting rights for United States citizens residing overseas. The act requires that all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands allow certain U.S. citizens to register to vote and to vote by absentee ballot in federal elections.[1] The act is Public Law 99-410 and was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on August 28, 1986.[2]
Groups of people covered under the act are:
- Members of the then-seven (now eight) Uniformed Services
- Members of the U.S. Merchant Marine
- Eligible family members of the above
- U.S. citizens employed by the federal government residing outside the U.S.
- Other private U.S. citizens residing outside the United States[1]
The act provides for an emergency back-up ballot, the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), which can be cast by voters who "have made a timely application for but have not received their regular ballot from the state or territory, subject to certain conditions."[1] Postage is free for UOCAVA registrations and ballots, including FWAB.[3]
The act does not apply to non-federal elections, although some states and territories also allow citizens covered by the UOCAVA to register and vote in state and local elections as well.[4] Before 1986 there had been some access to voting from abroad, but it varied.[5]
- ^ a b c "Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (as modified by the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2005)". U.S. Department of Justice; Civil Rights Division; Voting Section. December 31, 1987. Archived from the original on 2008-07-17. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
- ^ Coleman, Kevin J. "Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Background and Issues." Congressional Research Service, 2014.
- ^ "Section 703: Nonprofit Standard Mail and Other Unique Eligibility". Domestic Mail Manual. United States Postal Service.
- ^ Federal Voting Assistance Program
- ^ Rynerson, R. W. (November 1970). "U.S. Election Night – 1970 – Berlin 1969". KLC Radio, Lewis & Clark College. Retrieved 2020-08-05.