House Administration panel examines FVAP operations, low turnout among military and overseas voters

The House Committee on House Administration held a hearing titled "Serving and Voting: Oversight of the Federal Voting Assistance Program" to examine how the Department of Defense implements the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and to review participation, outreach and administrative barriers for active-duty military and overseas voters.

Committee members and witnesses concentrated on three central issues: persistently low turnout among UOCAVA-eligible voters, how the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) coordinates with state and local election officials and postal services to ensure ballots arrive and can be returned, and resource and staffing limits at FVAP. Chairman Stile and Ranking Member Morelli led questioning and highlighted the disparity between domestic and UOCAVA turnout rates.

The witnesses were Dr. Liz Clark, director of the Defense Services Support Center at the Department of Defense, and J. Scott Wiedman, director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program. Clark and Wiedman told the committee that FVAP administers implementation of UOCAVA under the Secretary of Defense and provides the standard absentee voting forms, guidance and a network of voting-assistance officers in the military services and at Department of State posts.

Wiedman and Clark offered numbers the committee cited during the hearing: FVAP estimates roughly 950,000 active-duty service members are eligible to vote under UOCAVA; in 2022 about 63% of those active-duty UOCAVA-eligible service members were registered to vote and 26% of registered UOCAVA-covered active-duty service members cast ballots in the 2022 general election. FVAP reported distributing nearly 200,000 educational and outreach materials in 2022 and responding to more than 12,000 call-center inquiries that year. In 2024, FVAP said its website received nearly 6,000,000 visits and that more than 600,000 users used the state-specific Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) online tool.

Witnesses and members discussed FVAP outreach and training. FVAP told the committee it trained nearly 3,000 voting-assistance officers worldwide before the 2024 election and partners with the Department of StateAmerican Citizen Services desks at embassies and consulates. FVAP also provides jurisdictions with postage-free ballot-envelope templates and a printed and online Voting Assistance Guidebook with state-specific deadlines and contact information, and it runs paid and organic digital outreach (FVAP cited digital-ad metrics during the hearing).

Committee members pressed FVAP about obstacles that suppress turnout, including time, distance and mobility for deployed personnel; slow international mail; and state-by-state residency and identity-verification requirements. FVAP and DoD witnesses repeatedly emphasized that final determinations about voter eligibility, identity verification, and acceptance of ballots rest with state and local election officials, not FVAP. Under UOCAVA, witnesses noted, states are required to transmit requested absentee ballots at least 45 days before a federal election.

Members asked about postal timing and the role of the Military Postal Service Agency and U.S. Postal Service in moving ballots from installations overseas into the U.S. mail system. FVAP witnesses said ballots deposited at a military post office are processed by the Military Postal Service Agency and then enter the U.S. Postal Service chain for delivery to local election offices.

Several members raised legislative concerns. Ranking Member Morelli and other Democrats warned that recently advanced proposals such as the SAVE Act and a presidential executive order (both referenced during the hearing) could limit registration and other options for overseas voters; witnesses noted they are aware of pending litigation and that FVAP will follow formal congressional and legal processes as legislation or litigation develops. FVAP said it reviews and updates the FPCA and other forms on a regular cycle and stands ready to make changes if required by law or court decisions.

Members also questioned FVAP capacity and staffing. Wiedman told the committee FVAP currently has seven employees; witnesses said three staff took retirement packages earlier in the year. FVAP said it can operate within its current resources but members asked for additional detail and for written responses on costs of its surveys and the congressional report.

Members urged additional steps to improve timely delivery and the ability of UOCAVA voters to cure ballot problems, citing anecdotal accounts of service members and families who did not receive ballots or who paid out of pocket for couriers. Witnesses highlighted the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) as a statutory backup when a requested state ballot is not received in time and reiterated that timely start of the process (for example filing an FPCA early in the year and taking advantage of the 45-day transmission rule) improves the likelihood the ballot will be delivered and returned in time.

The hearing record stayed open for five legislative days for members to submit additional material. Committee members asked witnesses for follow-up written responses on specific cost and operational questions.

The hearing drew sustained bipartisan commentary that FVAP has taken steps on outreach and training but that significant gaps remain between registration and turnout for military and overseas voters. Several members asked FVAP produce follow-up answers on the cost of surveys and the program's capacity and encouraged nearer-term steps to reduce mail delays and improve cure opportunities ahead of the 2026 election cycle.

Ending: The committee concluded by asking witnesses to provide written follow-ups on outstanding questions and then adjourned.