ARKANSAS TO HOLD SPECIAL STATE HIGHWAY BOND ELECTION

On Tuesday, November 8, 2011, Arkansas will hold a special state-wide election for a state highway bond to renew $575 million in bonds to repair approximately 300 miles of interstate highways. If voters approve on November 8, the Highway Commission will have authority to renew the bonds for additional repairs to Arkansas interstates.

Voting Assistance Officers should contact Arkansas voters and inform them of this election and assist them in requesting and returning their absentee ballot.

Register to Vote and Request Your Ballot Now

The Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) registers you to vote and requests absentee ballots for all Federal elections held through the next two regularly scheduled general elections. You may obtain an FPCA from your unit or installation Voting Assistance Officer and at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide; but you must follow the Arkansas instructions given at: www.fvap.gov. Arkansas does not allow you to receive your blank ballot by email or fax. The State of Arkansas allows you to submit the FPCA by mail, email or fax.

  • If you choose to mail your FPCA, mail the form directly to your local election office.
  • If you choose to email your FPCA, scan the completed form and email it to your local election office where you intend to vote.
  • If you choose to fax your FPCA, fax the forms directly to your local election office.
    • Mailing addresses, email addresses and fax numbers can be found at: http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/Pages/default.aspx.
  • You may also use the Department of Defense Electronic Transmission Service to fax your FPCA toll-free. To use the Electronic Transmission Service, use the cover sheet available in the Voting Assistance Guide, or at: www.fvap.gov and fax to: (703) 693-5527, DSN 223-5527, or toll-free from the U.S., Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands to 1-800-368-8683. International toll-free numbers can be found at: www.fvap.gov Voter Alert Telephone: (703) 588-1584 E-mail: vote@fvap.gov.

If you are already registered to vote, the deadline for submitting an FPCA to request a ballot is November 1, 2011.

Your jurisdiction will contact you if your registration is denied.

Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) and additional information

The Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), serves as an emergency ballot to be used by a uniformed services voter who is absent from his or her voting jurisdiction or by a citizen residing outside the United States who did not receive his or her regular ballot in time to be marked and returned for counting. Arkansas allows you to use the FWAB for registration and voting in primary, special, run-off, and general elections for Federal, State, and local offices and non-candidate ballot issues, including this special election. Use the FWAB to vote anytime before an election if you have not received your regular ballot.

Vote Your FWAB

To find out the races and candidates for which you can vote, go to: http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections.html. For each office for which you vote, write in either a candidate's name or a political party designation. Once the ballot is complete, fold and place it in the security envelope and seal. Place only the voted ballot in the security envelope and do not write on the security envelope.

How and Where to Submit Your FWAB

The deadlines for submitting the FWAB are the same as for State absentee ballots. If you receive the State ballot after submitting the voted FWAB, you may also vote and return the State ballot. If both ballots are received by the deadline, only the State ballot will be counted. Insert the sealed security envelope and the Voter's Declaration/Affirmation into the mailing envelope and mail your FWAB directly to your local election official.

Qualifications

To be qualified to vote an absentee ballot, you must meet one of the following criteria:

  • You are a member of the U.S. armed forces, merchant marines or the spouse or a dependant family member, OR
  • A U.S. citizen whose permanent residence is in Arkansas but is temporarily living outside the territorial limits of the United States.

Receive Your Ballot

Ballots will be mailed out on September 23, 2011 if requested by this date.

Vote and Submit Your Ballot

Voted ballots must be postmarked no later than Election Day and received by the local election official by 5:00 p.m., November 18, 2011.

No witness or notary is required on voted ballots.

Civilians residing outside the U.S.: Contact your closest U.S. Embassy or consulate for specific instructions on how voted ballots, with proper domestic postage attached, can be returned to the United States from any U.S. embassy or consulate. To locate your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, visit: http://www.usembassy.gov/.

Tracking your Ballot

To find out the status of your absentee ballot request, contact your local election office or refer to Arkansas’ voter registration verification website at: http://www.voterview.ar-nova.org/.

Questions

Please contact your local county clerk with any questions about the absentee voting process. You can also contact the Arkansas Secretary of State's office with any questions or concerns at: voterservices@sos.arkansas.gov.

Additional Information

State specific information on precincts, candidates, elections, and voting is available at the Arkansas website: http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections.

 

FVAP can be contacted via 1-800-438-8683. Citizens may reach FVAP toll-free from 67 countries by using the toll-free numbers listed on the FVAP web portal, http://www.fvap.gov/contact/index.html. Questions regarding the above may also be referred to the Director, Federal Voting Assistance Program, Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC, 20301-1155, vote@fvap.gov, and on the World Wide Web at www.fvap.gov.

PDF version of FVAP News Release #23