PROVE Act would suppress the votes of U.S. citizens abroad
August 13, 2025, Washington, D.C. — A coalition of leading organizations representing Americans living overseas — U.S. Vote Foundation and its Overseas Vote initiative, the Association of Americans Resident Overseas, American Citizens Abroad, and FAWCO — today issued a strong joint statement opposing the Proving Residency for Overseas Voter Eligibility Act, H.R. 4851 (“PROVE Act”).
If enacted, the PROVE Act would impose an arbitrary proof of “current” U.S. residence requirement on non-military overseas voters or, alternatively, an arbitrary Washington D.C. residency on U.S. citizens abroad.
“UOCAVA has worked for nearly 40 years securely and successfully,” the coalition declared, referring to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986.
Under current law, overseas voters use their last U.S. voting residence address — verified with identity documentation — to register and vote. The PROVE Act’s new requirement is not only irrelevant to voting eligibility but unworkable for the millions of U.S. citizens living overseas.
“This is voter suppression,” the coalition stated. “It’s already challenging to vote from abroad. This bill would push participation toward zero.”
The groups emphasized that Americans abroad are not a fringe population. They are first and foremost U.S. citizens who are also business leaders advancing U.S. interests, teachers and doctors serving abroad, and unofficial diplomats representing the nation worldwide. As Americans, they have a fundamental right to vote.
“We call on Congress to reject this misguided bill outright. Citizenship — not a current street address in the U.S. — is the basis for voting rights in federal elections,” the coalition concluded.
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For further information and comments, please see:
Joint Statement Opposing the PROVE Act
Media Contacts
U.S. Vote Foundation: usvotefoundation.org | overseasvotefoundation.org
Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat; [email protected]; +1 (202) 470-2480
Association of Americans Resident Overseas: aaro.org
Doris L. Speer; [email protected]; + 33 6 74 94 76 66
American Citizens Abroad: americansabroad.org
Marylouise Serrato; [email protected]; +1 (202) 322-8441
FAWCO: fawco.org
Johanna Dishongh, FAWCO US Liaison; [email protected]
About U.S. Vote Foundation
U.S. Vote Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)3 organization that works to facilitate and increase participation of U.S. domestic, overseas, and military voters worldwide through streamlined voter registration and absentee ballot request services, civic data, technology development, and access to personalized voter information services. U.S. Vote Foundation is a leader in Civic/Election Data and Vote-by-Mail Absentee Ballot Request services. Overseas Vote and US.VOTE are signature initiatives of U.S. Vote Foundation.
About AARO
The Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO), founded in 1973 and headquartered in Paris, is a global, non-partisan, non-profit, volunteer association with members in over 40 countries that seeks fair treatment by the U.S. government for Americans abroad by advocating the issues that negatively affect their lives. AARO also informs its members of their rights and responsibilities as American citizens.
About American Citizens Abroad, Inc.
ACA is a Washington, D.C. based, non-profit (501(c)(4)), non-partisan, advocacy organization that represents the legislative and regulatory concerns of the 5.2 million U.S. citizens living abroad to the U.S. Government. ACA favors a balanced approach and supports tangible results and practical solutions. ACA does this through advocacy, education, and research. With a nearly 50-year track record, ACA is uniquely positioned to advocate given our long-standing reputation in Washington, D.C., our professionalism and our proximity to Capitol Hill and stakeholders.
About FAWCO
Founded in 1931, FAWCO is an international network of independent volunteer clubs and associations comprising 60 member clubs in 30 countries worldwide. FAWCO serves as a resource and a voice for its members; seeks to improve the lives of women and girls worldwide, especially in the areas of human rights, health, education and the environment; advocates for the rights of US citizens overseas; contributes to the global community through its Teams and The FAWCO Foundation, which provides Development Grants and Education Awards. The organization is a global women’s NGO (non-governmental organization), and since 1997, FAWCO has held special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council.
Quick Facts About Overseas Voting Under UOCAVA
The Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) was established in 1986, with overwhelming bipartisan support. The act is implemented by the Pentagon’s Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP)
Purpose: UOCAVA ensures that members of the U.S. military, their eligible family members, and U.S. citizens living abroad can vote in federal elections.
How It Works:
- Voters abroad register and request ballots using the Federal Post Card Application Form (FPCA) on which they specify their last U.S. residence address — verified with identity documentation.
- The applications are sent to, and processed by local election officials across all states and territories.
- Maintenance of a current U.S. residence while abroad is not required;
U.S. Citizenship, U.S. identification, and a prior U.S. voting residence address establish eligibility.
Election Administration: UOCAVA voting is managed by over 7,500 local election offices nationwide; ballots are securely transmitted and processed according to state law.
Integrity Record: Over the past 40 years of UOCAVA voting, Americans overseas have cast their ballots safely and securely.