Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA)

As mandated by law, election officials are expected to send absentee ballots to military personnel, their eligible family members, and overseas citizens at least 45 days prior to a federal election. The Postal Service^™ is committed to helping election officials meet their obligations with proactive planning and mailpiece preparation..

Get started by doing the following:

• Contact the local Postal Service Manager of Customer Relations.
• Discuss the timeline and known deadlines.
• Review address files for military and overseas voters and perform any necessary address maintenance.
• Consult Publication 632, State and Local Election Mail- User’s Guide, or Postal Explorer for tips on how to properly address internationally bound mailpieces at https://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc1_008.htm.
• Determine if your mailpiece meets the postage exemption criteria with postage paid as authorized by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
• Obtain and then affix Tag 191, Domestic and International Ballots, to your outbound sacks and trays of Ballot Mail.

For more information, please review Publication 632, Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®) 703.8.2, or visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program at https://www.fvap.gov/vao/overview.