Today, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced that voting for military and overseas Ohioans has begun for the May 2 primary election. On Friday, Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) ballots were sent to our servicemen and women stationed abroad and to Ohioans working overseas by our county boards of elections. The deadline for Ohioans to register to vote is April 3, and early voting begins April 4.
“By virtue of the fact that they are defending our nation overseas, the servicemen and servicewomen of our armed forces are patriotic, civic-minded and are an integral part of our democratic process,” said Secretary LaRose. “As a veteran, I can attest firsthand that the service members serving overseas want to remain actively engaged in our electoral process and have their voices heard for when they return stateside to their families and communities after their service. UOCAVA ensures that our nation’s bravest are able to enjoy the rights that they defend abroad.”
The Federal Voting Assistance Program is affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense and ensures all service members, their eligible family members, and overseas citizens have the tools and resources to exercise their right to vote. Secretary LaRose encourages any eligible overseas voter with questions about the process to visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program website at FVAP.gov, call the Ohio Secretary of State’s office at 614-466-2585, or e-mail him directly at [email protected]. Secretary LaRose is a U.S. Special Forces Green Beret combat veteran and current member of the U.S. Army Reserve.
Recognizing the complexities of voting from overseas, both federal and state law protect the right and ability for uniformed services and overseas U.S. citizens to vote by providing additional and adequate time for them to apply for and cast an absentee ballot. UOCAVA and the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act are federal laws ensuring this right in federal elections, while the Ohio General Assembly has incorporated those federal protections into the Ohio Revised Code and extended them to state and local elections.
UOCAVA ballots may be returned by U.S. Postal Service, APO/FPO System, diplomatic pouch or another delivery service such as UPS or FedEx, or in person. An absentee ballot delivered in person must arrive at the board office by the close of polls on Election Day, May 2. Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than Election Day and must arrive at the board of elections office on or before the 4th day after the election.
As always, all necessary voting information is available online at the Ohio Secretary of State’s Voter Toolkit, VoteOhio.gov. Once there, Ohio voters can download the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), check their voter registration status, find their polling location, view their sample ballot and track the status of their absentee ballot.
# # #