The FWAB: Your Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot
The Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot, or FWAB, is a backup ballot for U.S. citizens overseas and military voters. If you requested an absentee ballot and it has not arrived as your state's deadline approaches, you can write in your choices for federal offices on the FWAB and send it instead — you do not have to keep waiting.
The backup ballot is a safety net for a ballot you already requested. If you have not sent your registration and ballot request yet, start there — it is the form that gets you an official ballot.
Start your formWhen should you use the backup ballot?
Use it when you have already requested your absentee ballot — by sending a Federal Post Card Application — and it has not reached you with your state's return deadline approaching. The FWAB exists precisely for that gap.
You do not have to wait until the last moment. If you are worried your ballot will not arrive in time, you can send the FWAB at any point in the election year once you have requested a ballot. International post runs slowly in both directions, and sending early costs you nothing.
If you have not requested a ballot at all yet, send your registration and ballot request first. The FWAB is a backup for a ballot you are already waiting on, not a replacement for registering.
What you can vote for on it
The FWAB covers federal offices only. In 2026 that means U.S. House and U.S. Senate — a midterm year, with no presidential race on the ballot.
State and local contests, ballot measures and referendums are not on the FWAB. If those matter to you, and your official ballot arrives in time, return the official ballot as well.
You write in your choices rather than picking from a printed list. The form's own instructions explain what it accepts, including whether you can write in a political party instead of a candidate's name, and they are the authority on the mechanics — read them before you fill it in.
What if your official ballot arrives after you sent the FWAB?
Complete and return the official ballot as well. Only one of the two will be counted, and election officials will not count both — sending the official ballot after the FWAB does not put your vote at risk.
This is the single most common worry about the backup ballot, and the answer is reassuring: sending the FWAB early and the official ballot later is the safest sequence, not a double vote.
Can the FWAB also register you to vote?
In some states it can, but that is not true everywhere, and registration deadlines often fall earlier than ballot deadlines. Do not rely on the backup ballot to register you.
The Federal Post Card Application remains the primary route: it registers you and requests your ballot in one form. If you are not certain you are registered, send that as well and ask your local election official to confirm.
FWAB deadlines
The backup ballot is governed by your state's ballot-return deadline — the same date, and the same rule about whether it must be postmarked by then or actually arrive by then. Those rules vary widely, and several states allow a voted ballot to arrive after Election Day only if it was postmarked in time.
Check your own state's dates and accepted return methods before you send anything, and work backwards from the deadline rather than towards it.
How to fill in and send the backup ballot
Confirm you already requested a ballot
The backup ballot is for voters who have sent a Federal Post Card Application and are still waiting. If you have not sent one, do that first.
Get the form
The Federal Voting Assistance Program publishes the FWAB and its instructions at fvap.gov. It is free.
Write in your choices for federal offices
Fill in the federal contests on your ballot — in 2026, U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Follow the form's own instructions on how to write in a name.
Check how your state accepts a returned ballot
Some states accept a voted ballot by email, fax or an online portal; others require it to travel by post, and some that offer an electronic option still require the paper copy to follow. Your state guide lists what yours accepts.
Send it to your local election official
It goes to the county or municipal office that handles your last U.S. address, not to a federal agency and not to us.
Return your official ballot too, if it arrives
Complete and send the official ballot if it reaches you later. Only one of the two is counted.
The form and its official instructions come from the Federal Voting Assistance Program, a U.S. Department of Defense program and the authority on the backup ballot. The Center for U.S. Voters Abroad Turnout Project is an independent nonprofit and is not part of the federal government. Get the FWAB from FVAP.
Common questions about the backup ballot
- What is the FWAB?
- The Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot, or FWAB, is a backup ballot for U.S. citizens overseas and military voters. If you requested an absentee ballot and it has not arrived as your state's deadline approaches, you can write in your choices for federal offices on the FWAB and send it instead — you do not have to keep waiting.
- When should I use the backup ballot?
- When you have requested an absentee ballot and it has not arrived as your state's return deadline approaches. You can send it any time in the election year once you have requested a ballot — you do not have to wait until the deadline is imminent.
- What is the difference between the FWAB and my regular ballot?
- Your official ballot comes from your local election official and carries every contest you are entitled to vote in, including state and local races. The FWAB is a federal backup covering federal offices only, on which you write in your choices.
- What if my official ballot arrives after I send the FWAB?
- Complete and return the official ballot as well. Only one of the two will be counted, so sending both does not put your vote at risk.
- Can I vote in state and local races on the FWAB?
- No. The FWAB covers federal offices only. In 2026 that is U.S. House and U.S. Senate.
- Can the FWAB register me to vote?
- In some states it can, but not everywhere, and registration deadlines are often earlier than ballot deadlines. The Federal Post Card Application is the primary way to register and request your ballot, so use that if you are not certain you are registered.
- When is the FWAB deadline?
- It follows your state's ballot-return deadline, including whether the ballot must be postmarked by that date or physically received by it. Check your state's guide for the exact date and the accepted return methods.
The best way to avoid needing a backup ballot
Send your registration and ballot request early. It takes about seven minutes, it is free, and it is what puts an official ballot on its way to you.
Start your form