Which state and district?

jdoliv

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Hi. We tried to search for a concrete answer but getting conflicting information from different sources. We are a military family and currently living in VA. We will be moving to TX this coming school year. My husband's home of record and where state taxes are filed is in OK. Our son would like to start his nomination applications sooner than later so trying to figure out which state his MOC applications need to be sent. Has anyone been in a similiar situation? The application guidelines on many applications state "Must be a resident of the state/district." How does this apply to military families that may currently reside in one state, move to another during the applciation period, but actually file state taxes in a different state? Any information is appreciated!
 
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Hi. We tried to search for a concrete answer but getting conflicting information from different sources. We are a military family and currently living in VA. We will be moving to TX this coming school year. My husband's home of record and where state taxes are filed is in OK. Our son would like to start his nomination applications sooner than later so trying to figure out which state his MOC applications need to be sent. Has anyone been in a similiar situation? The application guidelines on many applications state "Must be a resident of the state/district." How does this apply to military families that may currently reside in one state, move to another during the applciation period, but actually file state taxes in a different state? Any information is appreciated!
The customary way to do this is with home of record. There are several tings that together can indicate home of record and they include car registration, tax home, drivers license and where you're actually living. Hopefully, there are enough of them matching to make a strong case for one or another. Remember that Senators and MOCs CAN do nomination interviews so living somewhere else can be a bit more challenging but most military families find a way to do this.
When the websites state "must be a resident" your son needs to be ready to explain how he is a resident of the particular district.
Don't forget to apply for the Presidential nomination as that is another nomination source that military family members can use.
 
This happens frequently with applicants from an active military family, families who live/work out of the country, State Dept employee families, etc.

As @OldRetSWO indicated, military families will usually choose the state they use for the military’s member’s legal tax residence, and the District used for voter registration purposes, even if a home is no longer owned there. This legal state of residence may or may not be the same as your Home of Record, the place of residence from which the military member entered military service. The military member is a transient military resident of the state where they are assigned, if not their legal state of residence, and that status is usually not a good basis for elected officials to consider for their SA nom program, as they would not be considered voting, tax-paying constituents, very generally speaking.

The Sen/Rep staffers who handle the SA nom process won’t be surprised by this. The applicant should research the website and call the staffers to research how residents living out of state apply and any particular requirements.
 
I knew a few friends that were in this situation, and they all chose to pursue congressional nominations in the states where their parents (and therefore themselves as minors?) were legal residents of, i.e. registered to vote, pay state taxes, etc. It was usually a few states away from our home state for them, but it worked out well in the end for them. I wouldn't fret too much over it.
It's probably a similar situation if for some reason, a non-military family had to move to a different when their kid was in the middle of high school. Moves happen for a variety of reasons, not just military, and congressmen understand that. They get new constituents moving into their district or state every year, and they still represent them in Congress just like for a longtime constituent :)
 
To add, one reading of "must be a resident of..." could be more telling someone not to apply to all 435 representatives and 100 senators for nominations...
 
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