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Jackson, Miss.—Eighty-one Mississippi counties met a federal deadline last weekend to send absentee ballots to active military and overseas voters who had already requested one.
Only Adams County failed to meet the deadline. Those UOCAVA voters who did not timely receive their requested absentee ballots in Adams County will now have an extra two days beyond June 5, 2018 Primary Election Day to cast their ballots.
Under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), citizens who are active members of the U.S. Armed Forces and National Guard, among other individuals and entities, are afforded special absentee voting rights. Circuit Clerks were required to transmit absentee ballots no later than Saturday, April 21, or 45 days prior to the Primary Election, to UOCAVA voters who requested a ballot on or before that date.
In Adams County, ballots were not transmitted to four qualified voters—overseas citizens residing outside the territorial limits of the United States—who requested them in advance until Monday, April 23. These four UOCAVA voters will now have until 7 p.m. CST Thursday, June 7 to submit their absentee ballots.
“State and local election officials working together have made it a priority to make sure our active military men and women and overseas citizens have an opportunity to vote,” Secretary Hosemann said. “The work of our Circuit Clerks is critically important in this effort.”
Under UOCAVA, eligible citizens may fill out a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to simultaneously register to vote for the first time and request an absentee ballot for an upcoming election. State and federal law allows UOCAVA applicants to return the FPCA form via mail, e-mail, or fax. Electronic signatures are permitted under State law.
The registration deadline for UOCAVA voters is May 26. A new voter’s FPCA form must be received by this date in order for the registration to be effective for Primary Election Day. Absentee ballots cast by mail, e-mail, or fax by UOCAVA voters must be received by 7 p.m. CST on June 5, 2018, Primary Election Day.
The FPCA form, ballot, and step-by-step instructions on how to complete both are available on Y’all Vote atwww.yallvote.sos.ms.gov.
Other upcoming election deadlines include:
· Monday, May 7: voter registration deadline to vote in the June 5 Primary Election for Mississippians other than UOCAVA citizens; and
· Tuesday, June 5: Primary Election Day/party primary candidates only—polling places open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For more election information, visit Y’all Vote, www.yallvote.sos.ms.gov, Mississippi’s online voter information center. For more information about UOCAVA or the Federal Voting Assistance Program, visit www.fvap.gov.
