Title 52 › Subtitle II — Voting Assistance and Election Administration › CHAPTER 203 — REGISTRATION AND VOTING BY ABSENT UNIFORMED SERVICES VOTERS AND OVERSEAS VOTERS IN ELECTIONS FOR FEDERAL OFFICE › § 20310
Defines key words used in the chapter about voting by service members, merchant mariners, and people living abroad. "absent uniformed services voter" — a service member on active duty, a merchant mariner, or their spouse or dependent who is away from the home where they are eligible to vote. "balloting materials" — official postcard forms, Federal write-in absentee ballots, and any state voting papers the President’s designee says are needed. "Federal office" — President, Vice President, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner. "member of the merchant marine" — a person (not in the military or only on Great Lakes/inland waterways) who works on or is enrolled to work on certain U.S. or U.S.-controlled ships. "overseas voter" — an absent uniformed services voter outside the U.S. on election day, or someone living abroad who is (or would be) eligible to vote where they last lived in the U.S. "State" and "United States" (territorial sense) — the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. "uniformed services" — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, the Public Health Service commissioned corps, and the NOAA commissioned corps.
Full Legal Text
Voting and Elections, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
52 U.S.C. § 20310
Title 52, Voting and Elections
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102