Absentee Voting Town Hall on September 28, 2012

The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan is pleased to invite all American citizens to an Absentee Voting Day event on September 28 at 4:00 pm with remarks from the Ambassador at 5:00 pm.  The event will be held at the U.S. Embassy and will focus on assisting U.S. citizens in completing their ballots or Federal Write-In Absentee Ballots.  It will also be a good opportunity for U.S. Citizens who have already received their ballots to bring them to the U.S. Embassy for mailing to the United States through the Embassy’s diplomatic pouch and to meet other members of the community of U.S. citizens in Tashkent.  U.S. Citizens who attend are invited to a Happy Hour hosted by the Marine Security Guard Detachment directly after the event.

To sign up for the event, please send an electronic message to consulartashkent@state.gov with your full name. We encourage all U.S. citizens to bring their passports to the event.  Please allow ample time for security procedures at entrance when you plan your arrival.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:  New absentee voting laws are in effect for the 2012 elections.  You may no longer automatically receive ballots based on a previous absentee ballot request.  All U.S. citizens outside the United States who want to vote by absentee ballot in U.S. elections should complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) every year.  States are now required to send out ballots 45 days before an election.  No matter what State you vote in, you can now ask your local election officials to provide your blank ballots to you electronically (by email, internet download, or fax, depending on your State).  You can now also confirm your registration and ballot delivery online.  Be sure to include your email address on the form to take advantage of the electronic ballot delivery option.  This is the fastest and most reliable way to receive your ballot on time, and we strongly recommend every voter take advantage of it.  Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program's (FVAP) website at www.FVAP.gov.

For those who have registered to vote but have not received their voting ballots by September 28, 2012, we recommend to complete a back-up Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) during this event.  If you receive your voting ballot after the event, you can still complete and send it in and the election officials will count the Form which arrives first.  Sending a FWAB will not result in a double count of votes and will not disqualify a voter for sending two different forms.