Who qualifies to vote by overseas absentee ballot?

Eligible U.S. citizens, 18 or older at the time of the election, who are outside of the United States at the time of an election are qualified to vote in federal elections as overseas absentee voters under the protections of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA)*.
 

Military voters and their eligible spouses and dependents who are absent from their address of domicile are also considered "UOCAVA" voters. 
 

Americans born abroad who have never established residency in the U.S. may vote in certain states using their U.S. parent/s' voting residence address. For more information: 
 

• Visit our Voter Help Desk to read about your eligibility to vote if you were born abroad, and what address you can use when voting from abroad without established US residency.
   

• Read an Interview with a young US voter who was born abroad and and votes in every election from overseas. 
   

To obtain an overseas absentee ballot, a voter must send in the official overseas registration and ballot request form by the deadline set by each state. States vary in their filing deadlines. Overseas and military voting deadlines also can differ from domestic deadlines. 
 

If you are planning to travel, study, live or work abroad and you know the address where you’ll be during the election, you may apply for the overseas absentee ballot prior to leaving the U.S. to make sure you meet the application deadline. 
 

Receipt of your overseas absentee ballot, voting, and return of your voted ballot must all be executed from outside the U.S. 

* Find out more about UOCAVA and the voting rights it protects.