North Carolina To Hold a Special Election for the First Congressional District on Tuesday, July 20, 2004

On Tuesday, July 20, 2004, there will be a special election (coinciding with the Primary) in the North Carolina First Congressional District to fill the remaining term of Congressman Frank Ballance who has resigned his seat effective Friday, June 11, 2004. All members of the U.S. Uniformed Services, their family members and citizens residing outside the U.S. who are North Carolina residents from the First Congressional District should request a ballot for this special election by completing and submitting a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), SF-76, as soon as possible, if you have not done so already in calendar year 2004. If you reside in the First Congressional District and have already requested a July 20, 2004 primary absentee ballot, a special election absentee ballot will be sent to you at the same address used for the primary ballot without any further action on your part.

To determine whether your voting residence is in the First Congressional District, you can access the FVAP website at www.fvap.gov and select Communicating With Your Elected Officials, then select Who is my Representative?

The Voter Registration deadline for this Special Election is Friday, June 25, 2004. Mail-in absentee voting began June 15, 2004. Requests for mail-in absentee ballots must be received by July 13, 2004. Once registered, North Carolina allows the use of e-mail, fax or mail for requesting absentee ballots. North Carolina will fax or mail absentee ballots to voters and allow the voted ballot to be returned by fax or mail. The County Board of Elections must receive the voted absentee ballots by 5:00 pm Monday, July 19, 2004. If faxing, the original ballot must also be mailed to the County Board of Elections.

Consult Chapter 3 of the 2004-05 Voting Assistance Guide for North Carolina instructions and county mailing addresses. The Guide is available on the FVAP website at www.fvap.gov . Mail the FPCA to the County Board of Elections in the county of voting residence as listed in Section III.F (Where To Send It) of the Guide. North Carolina accepts the online version of the FPCA that can also be downloaded from the FVAP website.

All of the above citizens may submit the completed FPCA by fax using the following numbers: 1-800-368-8683, (703) 693-5527 or DSN (military) 223-5527. Also, on the FVAP website, there is a list of toll-free fax numbers from 51 countries for use by U.S. citizens overseas. Voters must provide a return transmission fax number with all country prefixes on all documents sent via fax. Consult Appendix C of the 2004-05 Voting Assistance Guide for specific instructions and a blank cover sheet for use when transmitting election materials electronically. After faxing, remember to submit the FPCA by mail.

For assistance, the FVAP can be contacted through the DoD Voting Information Center (VIC). The VIC also provides recorded messages from candidates, as well as other information concerning elections, 24 hours a day. Citizens may reach the VIC toll-free from 64 countries using the toll-free telephone numbers listed on the FVAP website. In the U.S., Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico or U.S. Virgin Islands call 1-800-438-VOTE (8683) or (703) 588-1343 or use DSN (military) 425-1343 to access the VIC.

Questions regarding the above may also be referred to the Director, Federal Voting Assistance Program, Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-1155. Additionally, the FVAP can be reached via e-mail at vote@fvap.ncr.gov and on the World Wide Web at www.fvap.gov .