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1. Who is a military voter?

A military voter is:

• Any member of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, the Commissioned Corps of the Federal Public Health Service, or the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Civilian employees of the United States and civilians officially attached to a uniformed service who are serving outside the United States
• Members of the United States Merchant Marine
• Peace Corps volunteers
• Spouses and dependents of those listed in the above categories residing with or accompanying them

Note: Military electors who are on active duty away from their primary residence (active-away) are subject to special procedures, including later absentee ballot request deadlines and voted ballot receipt deadlines.

2. Who is an overseas voter?

An overseas voter is a U.S. citizen who:

• Is not disqualified from voting under Wisconsin Statue Section 6.03
• Has attained or will attain the age of 18 years old by the date of an election, at which the citizen proposes to vote
• Does not qualify as a resident of this state under Wisconsin Statue Section 6.10, but who was last domiciled in this state or whose parent was last domiciled in this state immediately prior to the parent's departure from the United States
• Is not registered to vote or voting in any other state, territory, or possession

Note: If an individual is temporarily overseas on election day, that individual may register and vote like any other elector and is not considered an overseas elector.

3. How do military and overseas voters register?

Military electors are exempt from registration. Overseas electors must register to vote, but are not required to provide proof of residence. Please note that the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) serves as both a voter registration and absentee ballot request.

4. How do military and overseas voters get their ballots?

Military electors are eligible to receive a full ballot at any election. Overseas electors may vote for federal offices only.

In either case, the ballot is mailed, faxed, or emailed per the voter’s request. If the voter does not specify the means of transmission, the clerk may send the ballot via whatever means are practical to expedite receipt of the ballot by the voter.

Local election officials are encouraged to make use of the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s Electronic Transmission Service (ETS) for overseas faxes to reduce costs. ETS will also forward emails to military and overseas citizens. Please view the ETS manual for details.

5. How do they request absentee ballots?

Military and overseas electors may request a ballot by mail, fax, or email. Most electors have until 5:00 PM on the fifth day before the election to make a request. However, military electors who are active-away have until the fourth day before the election to make a request.

If the request is by fax or email, an original absentee application bearing the voter’s signature must be received by local election officials no later than the deadline to receive the ballot from the elector. The original absentee application is typically included in the carrier envelope containing the voted ballot, which is placed inside its own security envelope.

6. What if the absentee ballot doesn't arrive in time?

Military or overseas voters who do not receive their ballots in time may use the Federal Absentee Write-in Ballot, which is available online and at U.S. embassies. Please consult the directory of U.S. Embassies websites for embassy locations and information.

7. How do they return their ballots?

All voted ballots must be returned to election officials, so they can be delivered to the polling place no later than 8:00 PM on election day, with the exception of fall elections for active-away military electors who only need to have the ballot postmarked by election day. The ballot must still be received by election officials no later than seven days after the partisan primary and no later than 10 days after the general election.