Military Teen Voters
Voting is a fundamental right for all Americans. Too often, American communities are prevented from casting their ballots and having their voices heard.
Military families—and military teenagers, like you—are often unsure where and how to vote due to frequent relocations, overseas assignments, and uncertain futures. The process is often foreign to first-time voters, but complications of military life make it even less clear.
In collaboration with the Secure Families Initiative, NMFA is here to help you remove voting barriers you face and make your voice count! You deserve a say in the decisions that so dramatically affect your family’s life in the military.
4 Steps to Rock Your Vote
STEP 1
WHERE DO I VOTE
As a military teen, you have a secret superpower – you get two options for where to vote: You can EITHER Vote local to where you’re living now OR Vote at one of your past addresses. Pretty cool, huh?
A couple things to consider when making this choice:
Which place do I feel most connected to? To vote in a place, you have to become a “resident” of that place, so where do you want to build ties?
Where do I want to pay taxes? When you have a job, the state where you vote is usually the state that taxes your income.
Where do I feel my voice will matter most? Lots of military-connected people pick their residency based on the place they think their vote will have the largest impact.
How can I prove that I lived there? Different states have different rules for what’s required to “prove” residency. So if you want to use an address you lived at in the past, but you don’t live there now, make sure to check those rules with that state’s election office.
Example: Let’s say you live with your family in California. But you still feel connected to your last home in Texas. You get to choose whether you want to become a California resident and vote there, or whether you want to prove Texas residency and vote in Texas.
Civilian kids don’t get these bonus options!!
I have a driver’s license – does that mean I have to vote in that state?
Great question — not necessarily! A lot of people think that they have to vote wherever their driver’s license is from, but that’s not true. Lots of us get local driver’s licenses because it’s easier, even if we don’t consider that place home.
Driver’s licenses can sometimes be used as evidence of residency if you choose to vote there, but it shouldn’t limit your choice.
STEP 2
REGISTER TO VOTE
STEP 3
GET READY TO VOTE
Make sure you don’t miss any election deadlines by signing up for calendar alerts!
Fill out the short form below with your voter registration address, and you’ll receive personalized texts and emails to remind you of registration deadlines, early voting dates, and Election Day.
STEP 4
VOTE!
Need help figuring out what’s going to be on your ballot?
There are some awesome, nonpartisan tools out there that can help explain the candidates and issues that you get to vote on.
Here are two options:
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