Can You Register For Selective Service At The Post Office

5 Things You Should Know about the Selective Service System and the Military Draft

One of the key questions Congress tasked the Commission to look at was whether our country has a continuing need for a Selective Service System and, if so, whether the current system requires modifications. During our research and travels, we learned that many Americans misunderstand the requirement to register, the purpose of the Selective Service System, and the distinction between the Selective Service System and the military draft. Here is what you should know about the current Selective Service registration process and the draft:

By law, men 18 to 25 years of age are required to register with the Selective Service System. The Selective Service System is an independent federal agency — entirely separate from the Department of Defense — that maintains a database of all people required to register. Men can register through a variety of means including online with a Social Security number and by completing a form at the post office. Most young men today register for Selective Service when they apply for a driver's license or federal student aid.

*Selective Service System registration form. Source: Selective Service System*

2. Registration d oes not automatically mean you will be drafted. There currently is no draft (the last draft ended in 1973) and in the event of a draft, the Selective Service System conducts a national lottery based on birth date, notifies selected individuals, and processes claims for deferments and exemptions. Congress would have to pass legislation authorizing a draft and the President would have to sign it into law for a draft to commence.

3. Women are not required to register. The Military Selective Service Act refers specifically to "male persons." The Selective Service bases the registration requirement on gender at birth. Congress would have to amend the law before women would be required to register. The Commission was created after Congress debated whether women should be required to register with Selective Service, after the Secretary of Defense lifted restrictions on females serving in military combat units in 2015. We will provide a recommendation on this question and a range of other topics when our final report is released in March 2020.

4. A conscientious objector must still register. A conscientious objector is one who is opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral or religious principles. There is no classification for conscientious objection until Congress and the President authorize a draft. Once a man gets a notice that he has been found qualified for military service, he has the opportunity to make a claim for classification as a conscientious objector. A registrant making a claim for conscientious objection is required to appear before his local board to explain his beliefs. Political or policy objections are not a basis for claiming conscientious objector status.

5. There are penalties for failing to register. For example, males who don't register are not eligible for federal student financial aid, state-funded student financial aid in many states, most federal employment, some state employment, and U.S. citizenship for immigrant men. You can check and verify your Selective Service registration online on the Selective Service website or you can call the Selective Service registration information line at 1–847–688–6888. If you have any questions on the penalties that result from not registering with Selective Service, please visit here.