elections.hawaii.gov Military and Overseas Voters

Organisation : Office of Elections Hawaii
Facility : Military and Overseas Voters
Country : United States
State : State of Hawaii

Military and Overseas Voters : https://elections.hawaii.gov/
Home Page : http://elections.hawaii.gov/

Military and Overseas Voters :
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) created special provisions to make registering to vote, obtaining, returning and tracking absentee ballots easier for members of the armed forces and certain overseas U.S. citizens while absent from their Hawaii voting residence.
UOCAVA voters are most commonly identified as one of the following :
** Uniformed or military personnel, including merchant marines, and their dependents.
** Citizens overseas temporarily.
** Citizens overseas indefinitely who claim Hawaii as their last residence.
** All military and overseas voters must be registered to vote in order to obtain a ballot.

Register to Vote :
Completing the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) is the best option for a UOCAVA voter to register to vote. The FPCA can be returned by mail, email or fax to your City/County Clerk’s Office. Members of the military can also obtain a FPCA from their Voting Assistance Officer (listed below). Civilian overseas voters can obtain a FPCA from any U.S. embassy or consulate.

Request an Absentee Ballot :
Completing the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) is the best option for a UOCAVA voter to request an absentee ballot. The FPCA can be returned by mail, email, or fax to your City/County Clerk’s Office. The application must be received by your City/County Clerk not later than seven days before an election.

Important: Applications are good for ONE election year – apply again each election year and each time you change mailing addresses.

Receiving your Absentee Ballot :
UOCAVA voters are sent an absentee ballot 45 days before an election during the calendar year in which they applied. You may request to receive your ballot by mail, email, or fax. To see if you are currently registered to vote or to check your absentee ballot mailing address, please contact your City/County Clerk’s Office. If you do not receive your ballot in time, you may vote using a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), available at fvap.gov. The FWAB is an alternative ballot for uniformed and overseas voters whose ballots are late.

Returning your voted ballot :
A completed ballot must be sent back to your City/County Clerk’s Office by mail or fax (if the ballot was requested by fax within five days before the election). A voter who faxes his or her voted ballot, must also mail the original ballot to their City/County Clerk’s Office.

Track Your Absentee Ballot :
Contact your City/County Clerk’s Office to find out when your ballot was sent, and if it was received and accepted.

College Students :
I am a Hawaii resident, and… :
I am living on campus :
** To receive your ballot at your campus address, you will need to submit a request for a One-Time Absentee ballot for every election you are away from your residential address.

I am attending school in another state/abroad :
** If you wish to vote in the Hawaii elections, you can request a ballot be sent to your college address. You will need to submit a request for a One-Time Absentee ballot for every election you are away from your Hawaii residence.

I am from another state, and attending school in Hawaii. I want to… :
Vote in Hawaii elections :
** Please visit our Voter Registration page to learn more about becoming a voter in Hawaii.

Vote in my hometown elections :
** You will need to contact the Elections Office in your hometown to find out how to receive a ballot while in Hawaii.

Voters Requiring Special Assistance :
Any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of disability or inability to read or write may be given assistance by a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer, or officer or agent of the voter’s union (42 United States Code 1973aa-6).

Assistance on Election Day at the Polling Place :
Voters with Disabilities :
All polling place are ADA compliant, and most offer accessible parking. Additionally, polling place offer the following assistance.
Curbside Voting : Voters who are unable to leave their vehicles may vote curbside while assisted by a precinct official.

Voter Assistance Station : All polling places are equipped with a Voter Assistance Station where voters can request special assistance.

Auxiliary Aids Kit : All polling places are equipped with an auxiliary aids kit containing tools to assist voters, such as magnifiers, signature guides, and communication cards for voters who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Voters with Limited English Proficiency :
Language Assistance is available for voters on Election Day. Please see the designated Voter Assistance Official (VAO) at your polling place. Voter Registration forms are also available in Chinese, Ilocano, and Japanese pursuant to the requirements of section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973aa-1a).

Voting Equipment :
Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Machine :
Pursuant to Section 301(a) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting machines are available at polling places to :
** Ensure privacy and independence and protect the right of voters with disabilities and voters with limited English proficiency.
** Provide accessibility for individuals with disabilities, including non-visual access for voters who are blind or visually impaired.
** Provide alternative English language accessibility pursuant to the requirements of section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973aa-1a).

Other Services for Persons with Special Needs :
Visual Disabilities :
For voters with visual disabilities, a taped message about voting in Hawaii is available at the Office of Elections and at the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

Voters in a Care Facility :
To ensure the security and integrity of election related activities at care facilities, staff members are discouraged from participating directly with a voter in the process of registering and/or voting absentee. Staff may assist only upon receiving specific authorization from the resident (voter).

If a resident of a care facility requests voting assistance from care facility personnel, the following guidelines should be observed to protect the voter’s rights :
** Reach out to family members to get them involved in the process of registration and voting.
** Ensure that the resident meets all the qualifications to register to vote.
** Present the option of Absentee Voting for residents who may not be able to make it to the polls on Election Day.
** Hawaii law provides for incapacitated voters to send a representative to obtain his/her ballot from the clerk’s office. The representative shall not be the voter’s employer, or an agent of that employer, or officer/agent of the voter’s union.
** If care facility staff will be assisting resident in voting, ensure that the staff remain nonpartisan and to have at least two people NOT of the same political party present. This is to ensure the rights of the voter are protected.
** An individual or organization may not duplicate, copy, or otherwise make use of any information provided on the voter registration applications. It is unlawful for any person to use, print, publish, or distribute information acquired directly or indirectly from voter registration applications.

In addition :
** Always be mindful of the voting rights of patients as well as their family members.
** Refrain from explicit or implicit discriminatory or coercive voter registration practices. Both are prohibited.
** Completed voter registration applications shall not be collected by the distributing person or organization unless specific authorization is provided by the clerk or chief election officer.
** Any mailed request for an absentee ballot shall be mailed by the voter directly to the clerk.
** If acting as an intermediary to pick up an absentee ballot, a letter of authorization from the registered voter must be obtained and submitted to the clerk.
** No one may ask a voter to see or look at the contents of his or her ballot or choice of party.
** No one may mark a person’s ballot or direct a person in voting without authorization.
** An attempt to vote in the name of the patient (voter) without specific authorization is illegal.

It is unlawful to commit election fraud. The following actions constitute as election fraud :
** A person who directly or indirectly offers to give valuable consideration and/or offer money to any voter to induce that voter to vote or refrain from voting for any particular person;
** A person who directly or indirectly, personally or through another person, threatens, forces or intimidates a voter to refrain from voting, or to vote for any particular person or party at any election;
** A person who votes or attempts to vote in the name of any other person, living or dead, or in some fictitious name;
** A person who has already voted and knowingly attempts to vote again;
** A person who knowingly gives or attempts to give more than one ballot for the same office at the time of voting.
** Pursuant to Hawaii law, any person who knowingly furnishes false information on the voter registration application or absentee application may be guilty of a Class C Felony, punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment and/or$10,000 fine.