A Military Voter’s Checklist Before Nov. 3

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Here is a checklist for service members and families who have not yet voted, according to the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s 2026-27 Voting Assistance Guide. The guide covers active-duty Uniformed Services members, Merchant Mariners, Public Health Service and NOAA members, their eligible family members and U.S. citizens living outside the country.

Know Where You Stand on Timing

FVAP’s guide recommends mailing timeframes for returning a ballot:

• 35 days before the election for people at sea or overseas without military postal access
• 30 days before the election for an overseas military installation with military postal access
• 11 days before the election for stateside service members and eligible families

With Nov. 3 only days away, those windows have closed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still vote. Some states allow ballots postmarked as late as Election Day, but they may still have to arrive within a certain timeframe to count. In Nevada, for example, ballots must arrive within four days after the election, according to the guide; in California, ballots must arrive by the seventh day after the election.

Each state determines its own schedule, so first find out what your state accepts.

Voter Checklist

If you conclude that you still have time to vote, here’s what to do:

• Confirm your state’s rules. FVAP’s state-by-state guide lists registration, ballot request, and ballot return methods and deadlines for each state.
• Check whether your ballot has arrived. Election officials must send ballots no later than 45 days before an election to registered voters who have requested one, FVAP says. State status tools are listed in each state’s chapter of the guide.
• If you registered but have no ballot, use the backup. FVAP says that if you do not receive your state ballot 30 days before the election, you can use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot, or FWAB, at fvap.gov/FWAB. It works for federal offices in all states, and some states also allow it for state and local races. If both your FWAB and state ballot arrive by the deadline, only one is counted.
• If you have not registered or requested a ballot, check your state’s deadlines now. FVAP’s Federal Post Card Application registers you and requests a ballot, and it recommends submitting a new one every January, each time you move or at least 90 days before the election. Deadlines vary by state, so check yours before relying on it.
• Return your ballot as soon as you have it. Check whether your state requires a secrecy envelope, and confirm how your state accepts returns. The guide says the FVAP postage-paid envelope can go through the U.S. postal system, including APO and FPO addresses, or through diplomatic pouches at U.S. embassies and consulates.
• Use a tracking label if you’re overseas. The guide says overseas military members can request a Prepaid Mail Label 11-DoD for general election ballots and keep part of it to track the ballot.
• Ask for help in person. Voting Assistance Officers, Installation Voter Assistance Offices and U.S. embassies and consulates can provide paper forms and help.

FVAP can be reached at 703-588-1584, toll-free at 1-800-438-VOTE, or at DSN 425-1584, or by email at vote@fvap.gov.

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