One of the most basic rights and responsibilities of all Americans is voting. Federal law protects the voting rights of military personnel serving away from home, and citizens living outside the United States. In exercising this responsibility, uniformed servicemembers assigned or deployed to locations in other states and overseas, need to plan ahead. Absentee ballots are used to allow those who cannot be close to home on Election Day to fulfill their important civic duty.The Department of Defense’s Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) helps uniformed servicemembers navigate the process of registering to vote, requesting absentee ballots and submitting those ballots on time. The FVAP also assists military family members and U.S. civilians living abroad.