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 where your parent(s) votes. 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.

Example: Let’s say you live with your family in California. But your military parent is a registered voter in Texas. You get to choose whether you want to become a California resident and vote there, or whether you want to copy your parent’s residency and vote in Texas.

Civilian kids don’t get these bonus options!!

*If you’re living in the same place where your parents vote, then you only get one choice*

“I have a driver’s license – does that mean I have to vote in that state?

Great question -- nope! A lot of people think that they have to vote wherever their driver’s license is from, but that’s not true. (In fact, if you don’t currently reside in the state where you’re licensed to drive AND you don’t have a parent/legal guardian who votes in that state, you actually can’t vote in that state.)

Driver’s licenses can sometimes be used as evidence of residency if you choose to vote there, but it shouldn’t limit your choice.”

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