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Instructions and Deadlines for Mailing/Emailing Ballots Under the Federal “MOVE Act” for Overseas Voters

To: County Elections Officers (County Clerks/Elections Administrators/Tax Assessors-Collectors) and County Chairs
From: Keith Ingram, Director of Elections
Date: April 9, 2014
RE: Instructions and Deadlines for Mailing/Emailing Ballots Under the Federal “MOVE Act” for Overseas Voters

Pursuant to the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (“MOVE”) Act, the blank official ballot must be mailed or emailed to any voter who submits a Federal Postcard Application (“FPCA”).  FPCAs on file submitted between October 27, 2010 and August 31, 2011 are still effective for the 2014 primaries and general election.  Also, all FPCAs submitted
on or after January 1, 2014 are also effective for the 2014 primaries and general election.

Deadline to Mail Overseas Ballots

As a reminder, all ballots to be mailed outside of the United States must be mailed on or before the 45th day before election day, Tuesday, May 27, 2014. The deadline for mailing ballots for the 2014 runoff primary election is Saturday, April 12, 2014.  Please note that although the deadline falls on a Saturday, it does not extend to the next business day. Therefore, we recommend mailing your ballots by Friday, April 11, 2014. If you plan on mailing your ballots on Saturday, we recommend that you consult with your local post office to confirm dates/hours their office will be open.

If a federal postcard application (FPCA) is received after the 45th-day deadline, the ballot should be mailed not later than the seventh calendar day after the date the FPCA is received. If an application for a ballot by mail is received after the 45th-day deadline from a voter who is not in the military or overseas, the ballot should be mailed not later than the seventh calendar day after the date the application is accepted.  Tex. Elec. Code Ann. § 86.004(b).

The following are important deadlines affecting FPCA voters:

May 27, 2014 Runoff Primary Election

November 4, 2014 General Election for State and County Officers

Emergency Ballots

We would also like to take this time to remind you that you have the authority to create emergency ballots.  If you do not receive your ballots in time to meet the 45-day deadline, you may create your own paper ballots or, if you have a copy of the ballot in the Adobe .pdf format, which is often provided by the printer for your proofing, you may forward a copy to the voter.  If you have a physical copy of the ballot and a scanner, you could scan the ballot and attach a copy of the scanned ballot to the email to the voter.  If you have a copy of the ballot in Microsoft Word, you could attach a copy in that format.  The main key is that it should be in a digital format that the average voter will be able to open and print.

Instructions for Emailing Ballots

Any voter who submits an FPCA and requests that the ballot be emailed, must be emailed a blank official ballot.

Here are the links to FPCA email instructions which we encourage you to use and modify as necessary for your county:

The following items should be included with your email to the voter:

The following items are helpful guidance on the MOVE Act’s requirements:

If you have any questions relating to the implementation of the MOVE Act, please contact our office at your earliest convenience.

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