Numbered Memo 2012-01: Military-Overseas Absentee Voting Process Changes
UMOVA Update

Changes to absentee voting materials and application in SEIMS with the enactment of the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act (UMOVA).

Author: Gary O. Bartlett, Executive Director

With the enactment of the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act (UMOVA), the State Board of Elections has created new or made changes to absentee voting materials and has updated the absentee voting application in the SEIMS software to facilitate the handling of military‐overseas absentee voting. These changes are enumerated below:

  1. County Boards of Elections can refer to the attached 2012 UOCAVA Quick Sheet (PDF) (Attachment 1) to provide clarification on processing voter registration applications, absentee ballot requests, and returned ballots from military‐overseas absentee voters. This document replaces previous versions of the UOCAVA Quick Facts Sheet.
  2. The state’s SEIMS County Board of Elections Absentee Ballot Request Form (2011) (PDF) (Attachment 2) has been updated to permit certain qualified voters to request and return a ballot under UMOVA.
    • This form will now replace previous versions of the County Absentee Ballot Request Form.
    • This form is for both civilian and military‐overseas voters.
    • Only existing registered voters may use the new Absentee Ballot Request Form. If a requestor is not registered, he or she will need to register to vote using a regular voter registration application or the Federal Postcard Application or Federal Write‐in Absentee Ballot.
    • A voter must meet the statutory definition of a uniformed services or overseas voter to be eligible to vote absentee under UMOVA; otherwise the request must be treated as a civilian absentee request.
    • Unlike civilian absentee requests, to become eligible under UMOVA, only the eligible UOCAVA voter may sign the State Absentee Ballot Request Form; otherwise, as long as the form is signed by a near relative, it shall be treated as a civilian absentee ballot request.
    • Current state law still requires that the State Absentee Ballot Request Form be uniquely issued to a voter upon request. Blank copies of this form may not be widely distributed.
  3. Absentee balloting instructions and related materials for military‐overseas absentee voters can now be generated using SEIMS. See UOCAVA Absentee Ballot Packet Sample Materials (2011) (PDF).
    • Unique balloting instructions will bed generated for each UOCAVA voter when the county board selects the newly entitled “Print Labels/Packet” task from SEIMS’ VoterView application.
    • The system will create a unique pdf document for each eligible UOCAVA voter.
    • The county user will have the ability to assign the file location where these documents will be saved.
    • This new process will create the following voter‐specific balloting materials:
      • UOCAVA balloting instructions
      • 8 ½ X 11 version of voter's assigned ballot style (only if the UOCAVA voter requested electronic transmission of blank ballot)
      • Labels (only if the UOCAVA voter requested mail transmission of blank ballot)
    • In order to facilitate this process, county SEIMS users will now need to link a pdf version of each ballot to each ballot style as part of the “Enable Ballot Styles” process.
    • The certified ballot printer will provide an appropriate pdf file for each ballot style for this purpose.
  4. County Boards of Elections will now have the ability to track the receipt of a Federal Write‐in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) from a UOCAVA voter.
    • To record the receipt of an FWAB as a source of voter registration, county users select the new 96 source code when processing an FWAB. The FWAB must be scanned.
    • To record the receipt of an FWAB as an absentee request, county users must select FWAB in the new Request Subtype field.
    • To record the receipt of an FWAB as a returned ballot, county users must check the new FWAB checkbox on the Absentee Correspondence Data Screen.
  5. County Boards of Elections must now record a Request Subtype when processing UOCAVA absentee ballot requests.
    • County users must record the type of request form that is received from a UOCAVA voter
    • The Request Subtype field will only be enabled if the voter’s absentee Request Type is military (MIL) or overseas (OVR).
    • The Request Subtype choices are:
      • FPCA (Federal Post Card Application),
      • FWAB (Federal Write‐in Absentee Ballot),
      • State Form (Absentee Ballot Request Form).
  6. UMOVA requires county boards to request an email address from all UOCAVA voters. This email address request must provide UOCAVA voters with the option of extending the scope of their UOCAVA eligibility. Although initial UOCAVA requests are only good for the calendar year in which the request is received, a UOCAVA voter may extend this period for an additional calendar year by checking a box on the email address request form.
    • The email address request form is located on a section of: (1) the UOCAVA container return envelope; and (2) is on the Affirmation of Military‐Overseas Voter (included in the UOCAVA balloting instructions).
    • For UOCAVA voters who submit an FWAB, the county board must send these voters an Electronic Email Address Request Form (2011) (DOC) (Attachment 3). If the voter has provided an email address or fax number, it is permissible to send this form to the voter electronically; otherwise, the form should be mailed to the voter.
    • If a UOCAVA voter opts to extend the scope of his or her UOCAVA eligibility, this extension shall be recorded in SEIMS using the new Extend UOCAVA Time checkbox.
  7. UMOVA requires county boards of elections to prepare an election notice to be used in conjunction with the federal write‐in absentee ballot.
    • The UOCAVA Election Notice Elections (2011) (PDF) is generated using a WebApp on the county boards of elections intranet site.
    • The election notice cannot be fully generated until Election Setup is completed.
    • The election notice must be updated when candidate information is available.
    • The election notice must be provided to UOCAVA voters upon receipt.
    • The election notice must be placed on county election boards’ websites.
    • There is no requirement that an election notice be published in a newspaper.
  8. An FPCA or FWAB may now be generated using a web-based form on the State Board of Elections’ website. These web forms are located on a new Military and Overseas Absentee Voting by Mail page on the state’s site. UOCAVA voters will still need to print, sign and transmit these forms to the State or a county board of elections.

↓ Military‐Overseas Absentee Voting Process Changes (UMOVA Update): Numbered Memo 2012-01 (PDF)

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