Reagan signs UOCAVA, giving uniformed and overseas citizens a federal right to absentee ballots

President Reagan signed the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) on October 28, 1986, requiring states to allow active-duty military members and U.S. citizens living abroad to register and vote absentee in federal elections. The law preempted state residency requirements that had disenfranchised millions of Americans stationed or residing outside the United States. The Federal Voting Assistance Program, housed in the Department of Defense, was designated to administer UOCAVA compliance.