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Will voting from abroad affect my tax status?

Unfortunately, misconceptions about voting and taxes keep many overseas citizens from casting their ballots. 
 

  • Here is our best advice: If you are living abroad indefinitely and do not own any property in the U.S., vote for federal-level offices only to avoid any tax status implications. 
     
  • We cannot offer the same assurances when it comes to the tax implications of voting from abroad for offices at the state and local levels. 

What if the ballot I requested doesn’t arrive on time?

A wonderful feature of the overseas voting program is that, if for any reason your requested ballot does not arrive in time for you to vote, you can use the emergency Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB). The FWAB is available on the U.S. Vote Foundation website. You can complete the cover page online, then download the ballot with instructions and the return address.
 

Will I be asked to notarize my ballot or signature?

  • No, ballot notarization is not a requirement in any state or territory.
     

  • In 2009, when the fundamental law, the Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), which specifies the process for overseas voting was amended by the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE), it was mandated that states cannot require overseas voters and military voters to notarize their voting documents. 
     

Do all enlisted military voters and their families qualify to vote as uniformed absentee voters under the protections of the UOCAVA voting law?

  • Only active-duty members of one of the U.S. uniformed services who are stationed away from their home voting district at the time of the election can use the UOCAVA voting program. 
     

  • The uniformed services are the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard, as well as the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps. 
     

How is overseas absentee voting different from domestic absentee voting?

One of the most important aspects of overseas and military absentee voting is that the process is defined and protected by a federal law called the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).

Because it’s a federal law, the requirements, features and benefits of the UOCAVA overseas voting program are fundamentally the same across all states and territories.

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. 
     

What makes the U.S. overseas voting program so special?

There are many beneficial features that are unique to the U.S. overseas voting program. For example, a special feature of the official overseas voter registration and ballot request form, historically called the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), is that it has a dual purpose. The form will serve to simultaneously register you to vote from abroad and request your overseas absentee ballot. Read on for more....
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