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Military and Overseas Voters

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act is a federal law that ensures military and citizens living overseas are able to register and vote in federal elections. Military and overseas voters have an extended timeframe and convenient options to receive and return a ballot.

Smiling female officer in uniform

Military Electors

  • A service member in any branch of the uniformed services and their spouses and/or dependents who are absent from the state because of a service member’s active duty.
  • Active and reserve components of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, as well as active components of the National Guard and Merchant Marines.
  • Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Public Health Service.
Three children of Solomon Islands stand next to U.S. male citizen

Overseas Electors

  • U.S. citizens who are living overseas, and whose last residence before leaving the country was in Colorado.
  • U.S. citizens who were born outside the U.S. whose parent or legal guardian is eligible to register and vote in Colorado.

How to Vote as a UOCAVA Voter

Military and overseas voters have an extended timeframe and convenient options to vote. Once registered as a UOCAVA voter, you may receive and return a ballot by mail, fax, email or the Secretary of State's secure ballot return portal. We will count only the first ballot that we receive.

Register to Vote as UOCAVA

If you have a Colorado Driver’s License or ID Card, please go online to www.govotecolorado.gov to register to vote and/or add UOCAVA voter status.

If not, please complete the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) online or download and print the fillable PDF version and return it to Arapahoe County. We encourage overseas and military voters to submit a new FPCA every year, and when you move. If you wish to receive your ballot by email or fax, please be sure to provide a complete email address or fax number, including the international prefix and country code. 

Return the FPCA by mail, fax or email to:

Arapahoe County Elections
5334 S. Prince St., Littleton CO 80120
Fax: 303-795-4712
Email: UOCAVA@arapahoegov.com

Going Out of Town? Please do not register as a UOCAVA voter if you will simply be out of town during election season. Instead, please update the mailing address on your voter registration in order to receive your mail ballot in another town, state or country. Remember to change it back again after you return.

Mail Ballot

Arapahoe County will automatically mail a ballot to every eligible UOCAVA voter at your registered mailing address in every election. Ballots will be mailed January 20 to eligible military and overseas voters for the 2024 Presidential Primary Election.

Mail back your voted ballot in the provided envelope by Election Day, March 5. It must be postmarked by this date. Your ballot must be received by the Arapahoe County Clerk’s Office by March 13, the eighth day after Election Day, in order to be counted.

Please affix adequate postage if you are returning the ballot through a foreign mail service or via common carrier (such as FedEx, DHL or UPS). No postage is necessary if mailing from a U.S. Post Office, the Military Postal Service Agency (APO/FPO), or U.S. Diplomatic Pouch Mail.

You also may request an electronic ballot when you register to vote as a UOCAVA voter. You will receive an email from UOCAVA@arapahoegov.com with a secure link to your unique ballot.

To access your Electronic Ballot:

  1. Go to https://myballot.sos.colorado.gov
  2. Select "Arapahoe County" from the county selection box, and enter your information as instructed so we can verify your registration.

You will then have access to your ballot. Vote your ballot, and save it as a pdf. Sign and date the affidavit and save it as a pdf. Return the affidavit AND ballot pdfs via the Secretary of State's secure ballot return portal, or email to UOCAVA@arapahoegov.com, or you print out your ballot affidavit, complete, sign and return by mail or fax to:

Arapahoe County Elections
5334 S. Prince St., Littleton CO 80120
Fax to: 303-795-4712
 

If returned via the Secretary of State's secure ballot portal, fax or email, your voted ballot must be transmitted by 7 p.m. MT on Tues., March 5.

If mailed, your ballot must be postmarked by March 5 and received by Arapahoe County by 5 p.m. on Wed., March 13 to be counted.

Replacement Ballot

You may call us at 303-795-4511 or email UOCAVA@arapahoegov.com to request a replacement ballot be sent to you via mail, email or fax. When a replacement ballot is issued, we will void your original ballot. You may then return your replacement ballot by email, fax or mail.

As an alternative, you may vote using the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot. This is a back-up ballot that can be used for any federal, state, and local races and issues for which you are eligible to vote. To be eligible to use the FWAB, you must:

  • Be absent from your voting residence;
  • Have requested a ballot for the upcoming election; and
  • Not have received your ballot.
Air Force airman hugs his daughter

Update or Withdraw UOCAVA Status

If you have relocated, separated from active duty, or if you no longer have a residence in Arapahoe County or in Colorado, please update your voter registration or withdraw from UOCAVA status at www.govotecolorado.gov.

Since voting materials are sent as non-forwardable postal materials, it is important for you to provide your new address after every move.