Printer friendly version
Email2008 Absentee Voting Information for Americans Abroad
The 2008 U.S. election cycle is in full swing. We encourage every U.S. citizen overseas to act now so that your vote is counted in the November 2008 presidential and general elections. The official U.S. Government web site for overseas absentee voting assistance is the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) web site at www.fvap.gov.
Generally, all U.S. citizens 18 years or older who are or will be residing outside the United States during an election period are eligible to vote absentee in any election for federal office. This includes primary, run-off, and special elections that occur throughout the year, as well as the presidential and general elections in November 2008. Some states will also allow overseas voters to vote in elections for state and local offices, and for state and local referendums.
Voting eligibility and residency requirements are determined by the various U.S. states and are available on-line at http://www.fvap.gov/reference/laws/vote-reg-guide/index.html. Your "legal state of residence" for voting purposes is the state where you last resided immediately prior to departure from the U.S. Voting rights extend to overseas citizens even though they may no longer own property or have other ties to their last state of residence, and, even if intent to return to that state may be uncertain. For those who have never resided in the U.S., sixteen states allow eligible U.S. citizens to register where a parent would be eligible to vote. Voting for candidates for federal offices does not affect your federal or state tax liability.
To register to vote and/or apply for an absentee ballot, you can use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) at http://www.fvap.gov/resources/media/fpca.pdf. The standard FPCA can be obtained from any U.S. embassy or consulate or many American civic groups. The on-line version, the OFPCA, is accepted by all states and territories. The on-line OFPCA form must be completed legibly, printed, signed, dated, and mailed to your local election officials. Your state may allow faxing to speed the process, but you will still need to send in the original by mail. Use an envelope and affix proper postage. The official U.S. Government web site for overseas absentee voting assistance, http://www.fvap.gov, has a wealth of information about absentee voting, including the state-specific instructions for completing the FPCA form, links to state and local officials, and a downloadable emergency ballot for use by those who register in time but fail to receive an official ballot.
As a general rule, you should try to send in the FPCA so that it reaches your local election officials at least forty-five days before the first election in which you are eligible to vote — ample time for them to process the request and send you a blank ballot. If applying for both registration and an absentee ballot, you may want to mail the FPCA earlier. One FPCA will qualify you to receive all ballots for Federal offices for the next two regular Federal elections (through 2010.) However, we recommend that you submit a new FPCA in January every year, and whenever you move or change your name, to ensure that your most recent mailing and e-mail addresses and new legal name are on file with your local election officials.
Under normal circumstances, most states and territories begin sending ballots to overseas citizens 30-45 days before an election. Vote and return the ballot promptly to meet your state’s ballot receipt deadline.
We are aware that mail service to some locations may be problematic, and may prevent you from receiving your ballot. Don’t panic! An emergency ballot, the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB), is available from the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, from many American civic groups, or on-line at http://www.fvap.gov/resources/media/fwab.pdf.
If you haven’t received your ballot within three weeks of your state’s ballot receipt deadline, and you are required to return your voted ballot by mail, you should complete, sign, date, and send in a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB). Make sure it is witnessed, if required by your state. If you subsequently receive your regular absentee ballot, execute it and return it regardless of when you receive it. Court decisions sometimes require late counting of ballots voted by Election Day, but received by local election officials for a specified period of time following Election Day.
Non-partisan information about candidates, their voting records, and their positions on issues is widely available and easy to obtain. Use the links on the FVAP web site at http://www.fvap.gov/reference/links/index.html. You can also read national and home town newspapers on-line, or search the Internet to locate articles and information.
The Voting Assistance Officers at U.S. Embassies and Consulates overseas are available to answer questions about absentee voting.
