Military and Overseas Voting in Texas

What is UOCAVA?

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act or UOCAVA, provides the legal basis for absentee voting for federal offices for US citizens who are active duty military, their eligible family members, and other US citizens residing outside the US. 

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What is the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA)?

The FPCA allows UOCAVA citizens to register to vote and request an absentee ballot. They are also used to update voter contact information. 

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How to Submit an FPCA in Texas.

A UOCAVA voter may submit their FPCA by mail, email, or fax (if they are in a Designated Hostile Fire or Imminent Danger Pay Area) to their county’s early voting clerk’s office. If faxed, the voter must then mail the original hard copy and the county must receive it within four days of the faxed submission. The Texas Secretary of State suggests emailing FPCA submissions for the fastest response time. 

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Submitting the Ballot

UOCAVA voters must submit their ballot to their early voting clerk by mail or fax (if the voter is in a hostile fire area) according to the deadlines listed in the chart below. 

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What is the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB)?

If a UOCAVA voter did not receive their mail-in ballot in time to return it to their county’s elections office, they may use an FWAB which serves as an emergency backup ballot for UOCAVA voters. 

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Deadlines for Texas UOCAVA Voters (chart from https://www.fvap.gov/guide/chapter2/texas): ​​