Absentee For Military And Overseas

Find information about voter registration and absentee voting for military and overseas voters by reading the applicable sections listed below.

Who Can Vote?

You have the right to vote in an Indiana election if you meet ALL of the following criteria:

You are a U.S. citizen; AND
You are a resident of Indiana; AND
You will be at least 18 years of age at the next general or municipal election; AND
You have lived in the precinct where you vote for at least 30 days before the election; AND
You are not currently in prison after being convicted of a crime; AND
You are registered to vote.

Who Is A Military Voter?

A military voter, otherwise known as an "absent uniformed services voter," is an individual serving away from his/her place of permanent residence who is also:
A member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or other uniformed service on active duty who, by reason of active duty, is absent from the place of residence where the member is otherwise qualified to vote.
A member of the Merchant Marine who, by reason of service in the Merchant Marine, is absent from the place of residence where the member is otherwise qualified to vote.
A member of the Indiana National Guard deployed or on assignment outside of Indiana.
A spouse or dependent of a member referred to above who, by reason of the active duty or service of the member, is absent from the place of residence where the spouse or dependent is otherwise qualified to vote.

Who Is An Overseas Voter?

An overseas voter is:

A person who resides outside of the United States AND who is qualified to vote in the last place in which the person was domiciled before leaving the United States.
A person who resides outside the United States and, but for such residence, would be qualified to vote in the last place in which the person was domiciled before leaving the United States.
A voter who lives abroad and no longer has a legal residence in Indiana may only vote for federal offices.

Deadline For Registering To Vote

In most cases, your county voter registration office must receive your registration application twenty-nine (29) days before the date of the election (October 7, 2024). However, under Indiana law, the deadline for a county voter registration office to receive a registration application from a military or overseas voter has been extended to eight (8) days before the date of the election (October 28, 2024).

Requesting An Application

To register to vote and request an absentee ballot, you will need to complete a Federal Post Card Application, Standard Form 76. Be certain to read the directions carefully and complete all areas of the form.

You can request a Voter Registeration & Absentee Ballot Request Federal Post Card Application Form using any of the options below:

DOWNLOAD AND PRINT the Federal Post Card Application Form.
EMAIL a request for the Federal Post Card Application Form.
Call us at (219) 465-3485 to request the Federal Post Card Application Form.

Returning An Application

Your completed Military Or Overseas Federal Post Card Application Form can be returned by mail, email, fax or in person as listed below:

EMAIL the completed Application form.
Fax the completed Application form to (219) 465-3497.
Mail or drop off the completed Application form to: Porter County Elections & Registration, 155 Franklin St., Valparaiso, IN 46383.

How Do I Cast My Vote?

You have the following four methods to cast your ballot in Indiana:

Vote by mail: You may submit an absentee ballot application to the county of your permanent residence, and your ballot will be sent to you. The ballot must be postmarked by the date of the election (November 5, 2024) and received in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk by noon ten (10) days after the election (November 15, 2024) to be counted.
Vote by email: You may receive and return your ballot through email directly through your county election office or using a program operated by the Federal Voting Assistance Program (www.FVAP.gov) of the U.S. Department of Defense.
Vote by fax: When you fax yourabsentee ballot application to your county election office you may request that an official election ballot be faxed back to you.
Vote in person: If your circumstances change and you are able to vote at the designated polling place for your permanent residence, then you should contact your county election office for instructions on how to proceed.

Deadline For Returning Mailed Absentee Ballot

Your ballot must be received in the Clerk's office in time to be added to the official election results. Your ballot will be counted as long as:

The absentee ballot envelope is postmarked no later than the date of the election (November 5, 2024); AND
The absentee ballot is received no later than noon, local prevailing time, on the deadline for counting provisional ballots, ten (10) days after the election (November 15, 2024).