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OMB Control No: 0704-0502	ICR Reference No: 202608-0704-008
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 202406-0704-001
Agency/Subagency: DOW/DODDEP	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB)
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Emergency	Approval Requested By: 08/31/2026
Date Submitted to OIRA: 08/26/2026

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	6 Months From Approved	10/31/2027
Responses	1,200,000	1,200,000
Time Burden (Hours)	300,000	300,000
Cost Burden (Dollars)	9,444,000	9,444,000

Abstract: The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act(UOCAVA),42 USC 1973ff, requires the Presidential designee (SECDEF) to prescribe the Federal write-in absentee ballot for absent uniformed service voters and overseas voters in general elections for Federal office. The form serves as a backup ballot for voters who did not receive their State ballot with enough time to vote and return it to their local election official. The authority for the States to collect personal information comes from UOCAVA.

Emergency Justfication: The Department of War (DoW) requests emergency processing to revise the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA, SF 76, OMB 0704-0503) and Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB, SF 186, OMB 0704-0502). These immediate revisions are essential to the mission of the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) to eliminate voter confusion and ensure the forms strictly comply with the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. Specifically, the revisions clarify voter identification requirements and remove an inaccurate eligibility checkbox for citizens who have never lived in the U.S. DoW cannot reasonably comply with standard PRA clearance procedures because the next Federal election is fewer than 90 days away, and UOCAVA requires States to transmit absentee ballots no later than 45 days before the election. Public harm (voter disenfranchisement) is reasonably likely to occur if the standard clearance time periods are followed. Therefore, DoW requests to bypass the standard public comment periods to ensure these legally compliant forms are implemented in time for the upcoming election.

Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 52 USC 203 Name of Law: The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

Federal Register Notices & Comments
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 1

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB)	SF186

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved
Annual Number of Responses	1,200,000	1,200,000
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	300,000	300,000
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	9,444,000	9,444,000

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement:

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $64,000

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

Agency Contact: LaTarsha Yeargins 571 372-2089 latarsha.r.yeargins.ctr@mail.mil

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