View source for Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act

{{Short description|US law on elections and voting rights}}
{{Infobox U.S. legislation
| shorttitle = Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act
| othershorttitles = 
| longtitle = 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.
| colloquialacronym = 
| nickname = Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986
| enacted by = 99th
| effective date = August 28, 1986
| public law url = https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-100/pdf/STATUTE-100-Pg924.pdf
| cite public law = 99-410
| cite statutes at large = {{usstat|100|924}}
| acts amended = 
| acts repealed = 
| title amended = [[Title 42 of the United States Code|42 U.S.C.: Public Health and Social Welfare]] ''transferred to'' [[Title 52 of the United States Code|52 U.S.C.: Voting and Elections]]
| sections created = {{Usc-title-chap|42|20|I-G}} § 1973ff et seq. ''transferred to'' {{USC|52|20301|20311}}
| sections amended = 
| leghisturl = http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d099:HR04393:@@@R
| introducedin = House
| introducedbill = {{USBill|99|H.R.|4393}}
| introducedby = [[Al Swift]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]–[[Washington (state)|WA]])
| introduceddate = March 12, 1986
| committees = [[United States House Committee on House Administration|House Administration]]
| passedbody1 = House
| passeddate1 = August 12, 1986
| passedvote1 = Passed Voice Vote
| passedbody2 = Senate
| passedas2 = <!-- used if the second body changes the name of the legislation -->
| passeddate2 = August 16, 1986
| passedvote2 = Passed Voice Vote
| conferencedate = 
| passedbody3 = 
| passeddate3 = 
| passedvote3 = 
| agreedbody3 = <!-- used when the other body agrees without going into committee -->
| agreeddate3 = <!-- used when the other body agrees without going into committee -->
| agreedvote3 = <!-- used when the other body agrees without going into committee -->
| agreedbody4 = <!-- used if agreedbody3 further amends legislation -->
| agreeddate4 = <!-- used if agreedbody3 further amends legislation -->
| agreedvote4 = <!-- used if agreedbody3 further amends legislation -->
| passedbody4 = 
| passeddate4 = 
| passedvote4 = 
| signedpresident = [[Ronald Reagan]]
| signeddate = August 28, 1986
| unsignedpresident = <!-- used when passed without presidential signing -->
| unsigneddate = <!-- used when passed without presidential signing -->
| vetoedpresident = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| vetoeddate = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| overriddenbody1 = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| overriddendate1 = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| overriddenvote1 = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| overriddenbody2 = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| overriddendate2 = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| overriddenvote2 = <!-- used when passed by overriding presidential veto -->
| amendments = 
| SCOTUS cases = 
}}
{{wikisource}}
{{wikisource|Executive Order 12642}}
The '''Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act''' ('''UOCAVA'''), P.L. 99-410, {{usc|52|20301|20311}}, {{usc|39|3406}}, {{usc|18|608|609}}, is a [[Law of the United States|United States federal law]] dealing with [[election]]s and [[Suffrage|voting rights]] for [[United States nationality law|United States citizens]] residing overseas. The act requires that all [[U.S. state]]s, the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]], [[Puerto Rico]], [[Guam]], [[American Samoa]], and the [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]] allow certain U.S. citizens to [[Voter registration|register to vote]] and to vote by [[absentee ballot]] in [[Elections in the United States|federal elections]].<ref name=UOCAVAtext>{{Cite web
|url=http://www.fvap.gov/laws/uocavalaw.html
|title=Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (as modified by the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2005)
|publisher=U.S. Department of Justice; Civil Rights Division; Voting Section
|date=December 31, 1987
|access-date=2010-12-18
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080717085438/http://www.fvap.gov/laws/uocavalaw.html
|archive-date=2008-07-17
}}</ref> The act is '''Public Law 99-410''' and was signed into law by [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] on August 28, 1986.<ref name=Coleman>Coleman, Kevin J. [http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS20764.pdf "Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Background and Issues."] Congressional Research Service, 2014.</ref>

Groups of people covered under the act are:
*Members of the then-seven (now eight) [[Uniformed services of the United States|Uniformed Services]]
*Members of the [[United States Merchant Marine|U.S. Merchant Marine]]
*Eligible family members of the above 
*U.S. citizens employed by the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] residing outside the U.S.
*Other [[Expatriate|private U.S. citizens residing outside the United States]]<ref name=UOCAVAtext />

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."<ref name=UOCAVAtext /> Postage is free for UOCAVA registrations and ballots, including FWAB.<ref name="DMM">{{cite web|url=http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/703.htm#wp1114319|title=Section 703: Nonprofit Standard Mail and Other Unique Eligibility|publisher=United States Postal Service|work =Domestic Mail Manual}}</ref>

The act does not apply to non-federal elections, although most states also let citizens covered by the UOCAVA register and vote in state and local elections.<ref name="FVAP">[http://www.fvap.gov/vao/vag Federal Voting Assistance Program]</ref><ref name="fvappdf">{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=2024-25 Voting Assistance Guide |url=https://www.fvap.gov/uploads/FVAP/States/eVAG.pdf |website=FVAP}}</ref> Before 1986 there had been some access to voting from abroad, but it varied.<ref name="klc">{{Cite news |last=Rynerson |first=R. W. |date=November 1970 |title=U.S. Election Night – 1970 – Berlin 1969 |language=en-US |work=KLC Radio, Lewis & Clark College |url=http://www.berlin1969.com/stories-geschichte/u-s-election-night/ |access-date=2020-08-05}}</ref>