January 29, 2016
GOSPORT
COMMENTARY
PA G E
3
Primaries near, register for absentee ballots now By Katie Lange DoD News, Defense Media Activity
It’s finally 2016, and it’s going to be a big year. In just 10 short months, Americans are going to vote for a new president. The first primaries to pick party candidates begin next month, so if you haven’t gotten your absentee ballot yet and want one, you had better start the process now. A lot of service members are either overseas or stationed away from their home states when elections roll around, so it’s important to register to vote and request your absentee ballot as early as you can. It’s pretty easy to do all at once – all you have to do is fill out a Federal Post Card Application. Officials at the Federal Voting Assistance Program suggest military members send in a FPCA every year. “Once the election office receives the FPCA, they will send the voter a ballot for every election they’re eligible to vote in,” said FVAP spokeswoman Mandi Richmond. Each absentee ballot is sent out 45 days prior to your state’s election, so if it doesn’t come to you shortly after you’ve applied for it, it’s
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Absentee ballots allow service members, civilian employees and their families to vote while stationed overseas. Photo by Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kasey Peacock
likely because your primary isn’t until later in the year. To find the date for the primary in your state go to https:// www.fvap.gov and select your state in the drop-down box at the top left side of the page. Once you’ve sent in your FPCA and get your absentee ballot from the state, officials urge you to send it back immediately since mail-in times can vary. States have differing deadlines on when the ballots have to be in their hands, too, so it’s best to not hesitate. If you still have some questions or need help with your FPCA, you can contact your service branch’s Voter Assistance Office using one of the
links on https://www.fvap.gov. Go to the military voter tab and scroll down to service information. Then choose your branc of service from the menu at the left side of the page. If you’re a military spouse, you are also covered under the same law that protects military members’ absentee voting rights. To learn more, go to https://www.fvap.gov/military-voter/military-spouses. You will find answers to frequently asked questions about voting registration at https://www.fvap.gov/vao/va g/appendix/faq. We have a big election year up ahead, folks, so if you haven’t requested your absentee ballot yet, get on it now.
NASP voters: If you want to register to vote in the following states, stop by the NASP Voting Assistance Office (Bldg. 1500, Room 229) or visit www.FVAP.gov to complete a registration application and request your absentee ballots for the upcoming presidential preference primaries (P) and state primaries (S): February 30-day notice* New Hampshire: Feb. 9 (P) South Carolina: Feb. 20 (P, Republican primary only) South Carolina: Feb. 27 (P, Democratic primary only, tentative) March 60-day notice* *Alabama: March 1 (P, S) Arkansas: March 1 (P, S) Georgia: March 1 (P) Massachusetts: March 1 (P) Oklahoma: March 1 (P) Tennessee: March 1 (P) Texas: March 1 (P, S) Vermont: March 1 (P) Virginia: March 1 (P) Louisiana: March 5 (P) Idaho: March 8 (P, Republican primary only)
Michigan: March 8 (P) Mississippi: March 8 (P, S) Puerto Rico: March 13 (P, Republican primary only) Florida: March 15 (P) Illinois: March 15 (P, S) Missouri: March 15 (P) North Carolina: March 15 (P,S) Ohio: March 15 (P,S) Arizona: March 22 (P) April 90-day notice* *Wisconsin: April 5 (P) New York: April 19 (P) Connecticut: April 26 (P) Delaware: April 26 (P) Maryland: April 26 (P,S) Pennsylvania: April 26 (P,S) Rhode Island: April 26 (P)
To register and request your ballots, visit the NASP Voting Assistance Office, complete the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) using the FPCA online assistant (fvap.gov/ military-voter/registration -ballots), or fill out the PDF(fvap.gov/uploads/ FVAP/Forms/fpca2013. pdf), or pick up a hardcopy version from your voting assistance office.
Commentaries are the opinion of the writer and should not be interpreted as official government, Navy or command policy statements. Reader submissions are welcome but should not exceed 800 words. Submissions must be bylined and include a daytime phone number or e-mail contact for the writer. All submissions are subject to editing to comply with policy and standards. Send commentary submissions to Janet.Thomas.ctr@navy.mil.