1 Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (“MOVE” Act) Part #1: Processing Requests for an ed or Faxed Voter Registration or Absent Voter Ballot Application Form Bureau of Elections June 2010

2 Table of Contents 1. Voters covered under MOVE Act and related state laws 2. Monitoring the Merit Election System 3. Directing voters to the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) form 4. Processing the FPCA form Not registered, signed application Not registered, signed application Not registered, application not signed Not registered, application not signed

3 1: Voters Covered by MOVE Act and Related State laws ► The following Michigan voters are ‘covered’ voters under the new state and federal laws: 1. A member of a uniformed service on active duty who is absent from his/her city or township of residence. (Voter can be inside or outside the United States.) 2. A member of the Merchant Marine who, by reason of service in the Merchant Marine, is absent from his/her city or township of residence. (Voter can be inside or outside the United States.)

4 1: Voters Covered by MOVE Act and Related State laws (cont.) ► The following Michigan voters are ‘covered’ voters under the new state and federal laws: 3. A spouse or dependent of a member of a uniformed service or a member of the Merchant Marine who, by reason of the active duty or service of the member, is absent from his/her city or township of residence. (Voter can be inside or outside the United States.) 4. A civilian voter who is outside the United States and is eligible to vote in Michigan.

5 ► Daily monitoring of your Merit Election E- mail account is strongly encouraged. Merit may be forwarded to an another account or an alert can be established. Merit may be forwarded to an another account or an alert can be established. See the Merit Election attachment #1 for more information about your account. See the Merit Election attachment #1 for more information about your account.Merit Election attachment #1 Merit Election attachment #1 2: Monitoring the Merit Election System

6 3. Directing Voters to FPCA Form ► Access to the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) form If a covered voter wishes to receive an FPCA form by , the voter must be sent an with a link to the FPCA form that appears on the website maintained by the Federal Voting Assistance Program office ( If a covered voter wishes to receive an FPCA form by , the voter must be sent an with a link to the FPCA form that appears on the website maintained by the Federal Voting Assistance Program office ( If a covered voter wishes to receive an FPCA form by fax, you must print an FPCA form and fax it to the voter. If a covered voter wishes to receive an FPCA form by fax, you must print an FPCA form and fax it to the voter.

7 FPCA Form

8 4: Processing the FPCA Form ► Voter registration and absent voter ballot requests received from covered voters must be given priority attention. ► An FPCA form serves as both a voter registration form and an absent voter ballot request. A covered voter is free to indicate that he or she wishes to receive a ballot by , faxed in letter or on a standard absentee ballot request form. A covered voter is free to indicate that he or she wishes to receive a ballot by , faxed in letter or on a standard absentee ballot request form. ► An FPCA form can be submitted by mail, or fax.

9 Processing the FPCA Form: Not Registered, Signed Application ► Scenerio 1: Applicant is not registered to vote within your city or township, and the FPCA is signed. If the residence address within your jurisdiction is listed as the applicant’s voting residence address, the FPCA must be accepted as a voter registration application.If the residence address within your jurisdiction is listed as the applicant’s voting residence address, the FPCA must be accepted as a voter registration application. Enter the voter into your local QVF. Enter the voter’s mailing address in the mailing address field. Enter the voter into your local QVF. Enter the voter’s mailing address in the mailing address field. Prepare a Master Card for your file. Affix a copy of the voter’s signature to the Master Card. Prepare a Master Card for your file. Affix a copy of the voter’s signature to the Master Card. Prepare and forward a Voter Identification Card to the voter’s mailing address. In this case, do not forward the Voter Identification Card to the voter’s resident address within the jurisdiction. Prepare and forward a Voter Identification Card to the voter’s mailing address. In this case, do not forward the Voter Identification Card to the voter’s resident address within the jurisdiction.

10 ► Scenerio 2: If the FPCA is not signed and/or the voter failed to provide a residential address located in your jurisdiction, an attempt must be made to obtain the missing elements. If you are unable to obtain the missing information, the application is ‘rejected.’ You must provide the voter with an explanation as to why his or her request cannot be processed. If you are unable to obtain the missing information, the application is ‘rejected.’ You must provide the voter with an explanation as to why his or her request cannot be processed. If you are able to obtain the missing information, continue processing. If you are able to obtain the missing information, continue processing. Processing the FPCA Form: Not Registered, Not Signed

11 Questions? Please contact the Bureau of Elections at: or