Frequently Asked Questions

For voting purposes, military service members, their families and U.S. citizens residing overseas may use the address where they resided before entering service or their legal U.S. residence as the address where they register to vote. You may register to vote using an Arkansas Voter Registration Application or a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA SF-76). The FPCA simultaneously serves all states and territories as both a registration form and application for an absentee ballot.

Military personnel may contact their county clerk, the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) or their Voting Assistance Officer for further information or to obtain a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). Call 1-800-438-8683 or e-mail the program at vote@fvap.gov or go to www.fvap.gov.

For Arkansas-specific information, visit:
www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/military-and-overseas-citizens
UOCAVA FAQs

No. You may not fax or email a ballot.

UOCAVA voters must vote their ballot by Election Day, and it must be received by their county clerk by 5:00 p.m. 10 days after the election.

The term “UOCAVA” refers to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. A UOCAVA voter is a military or overseas citizen and their spouse. Please visit our Military and Overseas Voting page for more information.

Must be received at clerk’s office by 7:30 p.m. ON election day.

-You may NOT fax or email a ballot.

-UOCAVA voters must vote their ballot by Election Day, and it must be received by their county clerk by 5:00 p.m. 10 days after the election.

Click here to learn more on UOCAVA.

To be qualified to vote an absentee ballot, you must meet one of the following criteria:

- You will be unavoidably absent from your polling site on election day, OR

- You will be unable to attend your polling site on election day due to illness or physical disability, OR

- You are a member of the Uniformed Services, merchant marines or the spouse or a dependant family member and are away from your polling location due to the member’s active duty status, OR

- You are a U.S. citizen whose residence is in Arkansas but is temporarily living outside the territorial limits of the United States.

Option 1: Request to have an absentee ballot application sent to you by contacting your county clerk in the county where you are registered to vote.

Option 2: Download and complete an absentee ballot application, then return this application to the county clerk in the county where you are registered to vote.
www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/elections/Absentee_Ballot_Application_1.pdf

County Clerk Contact Information

How to Complete the Absentee Ballot Application
www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/elections/How_to_Complete_the_Absentee_Ballot_Application_-_Rev._10-2020_.pdf

Please contact your county clerk with any questions about voting absentee in your county.
www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/elections/County_Clerk_Contact_List_-_Rev._8-19-2020_.pdf

Example: “I’ve been transferred, and most of the instructions refer to my legal voting residence and my county of residence.”

For voting purposes, your residence can be either the place you last resided before entering service, or it can be your new legal residence. Military and family members may change their legal residence each time they change permanent duty stations, or they may choose to retain their original residence. A valid street address - even your former address - is required to be sure you are voting in the correct precinct. P.O. Boxes are not allowed. Consult a legal officer before changing residence, because other factors besides voting must be considered.

Family members follow the same procedures as military personnel. Please visit fvap.gov for more information.

Contact your county clerk. If you have access to a computer, email the Elections Division of the Arkansas Secretary of State at: electionsemail@sos.arkansas.gov. If you are a military or overseas citizen, you may also visit the website of the Federal Voting Assistance Program at (www.fvap.gov), which provides information for servicemen and women overseas. The FVAP also helps all military personnel with access to a DSN phone. Dial toll-free DSN 425-1584.