It cannot be said enough. Voting is important in the United States. Voting local, state, and nationwide elections allows our democratic nation to choose our government leaders by ensuring that everyone, including military members, gets a vote on who leads our states and ultimately who becomes the new Commander in Chief. A federal law, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) protects military members and their families, along with other federal personnel, their rights to vote at all levels of government.
For military members who live in any of the 50 states, Washington, D.C. the U.S. territories, and overseas personnel, a procedure exists for your vote to count. If you haven’t already completed the steps to cast a mail-in/absentee ballot, the following procedure will help you cast your vote in future elections.
The Department of Defense’s Federal Voting Assistant Program’s (FVAP) Voting Assistance Guide is a reference guide for everything you need to know about mail-in/absentee voting. The guide contains information on how to register for a mail-in/absentee ballot in your state of legal residence, what information must be included in each form, and how to return the ballot to the election office. To see the FVAP’s Voting Assistance Guide, visit the website https://www.fvap.gov/guide?fouo=true. On the map, click on the state to obtain information about the mail-in/absentee voting rules for your state. To register and maintain your registration ballot in your state of residence, use the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA). The Federal Voting Assistance Program suggests sending in a new FPCA every January and each time you move. This ensures that your state will send your ballot to you at least 45 days before the election.
North Dakota is the only state where voters are not required to register to vote. According to FVAP’s Voting Assistance Guide, the mail-in/absentee voting process applies in North Dakota to an active-duty member of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine absent from their voting residence, an eligible spouse or family member of an active-duty member of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine, and a U.S. citizen residing outside the country.
For military members to vote absentee in Minot for the General Election, mail-in/absentee ballot requests are available at the Minot Public Library on the wooden desk located in the lobby inside the front doors.
- Complete the request form.
- Take it to the Ward County Auditor’s Office (on the 2nd floor above the Ward County
Library) at 225 3rd Street, SE in Minot with an acceptable form of identification. - Complete your ballot there in the voting booths outside the front door of the Auditor’s office and drop it in the ballot box inside the Auditor’s office. If you want to return your ballot by mail, it must be postmarked by November 4, 2024. If you want to email or fax your ballot, it must be received by 11:59 on November 4, 2024.
For more information, visit the FVAP’s webpage https://www.fvap.gov/north-dakota.
As a backup, if your mail-in/absentee ballot hasn’t arrived in the mail by the time the deadline is coming close, the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) can be used if you’ve registered to vote or completed and mailed an FPCA. You can also complete this form online at https://www.fvap.gov/guide?fouo=true. In the upper right-hand corner on the webpage under Election Materials, click on the FWAB tab. You can fill in your candidate choices based on your state of residence.
If you need more assistance, please visit the Installation Voting Office (IVO) at the Airmen and Family Readiness Center on 22 Peacekeeper Place, Bldg. 291, on Minot AFB, or contact by phone: (701) 723-5222 or E-mail at voting@us.af.mil. Also, a Unit Voting Assistance Officer (UVAO) within each unit offers absentee voting information and assistance to military members, their eligible family members, and civilian personnel. If you’re unable to contact your IVA Office, the Total Force Service Center (TFSC) offers 24-hour voting assistance from the TFSC: DSN 665-0102, Commercial 210-565-0102, or Toll Free 1-800-525-0102. If you would like a information sheet for the voting resources, go to the 5th Force Support’s Voting Action Plan at https://5thforcesupport.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Voting-Assistance-Info-Sheet.pdf.
No matter where in the world you are stationed, make your vote count!
