Voter Registration and Requesting an Absentee Ballot

While the Embassy can accept ballots for forwarding to the United States, there is no voting in person at the U.S. Embassy. Also, there is no guarantee that ballots received at the Embassy will arrive by the deadline which your district has set for receipt of absentee ballots.  You may wish to expess mail them directly to your voting district.

We encourage U.S. citizens to visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website at http://www.fvap.gov/, the official U.S. government website for overseas voters.  This website features an automated Voter Registration and Ballot Delivery tool that will assist with the vote-by-mail process.

The procedures and deadlines to vote absentee vary from state to state.  However, the same document and the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) is accepted by all states and territories as an application for both registration and for an absentee ballot.

• Visit http://www.fvap.gov/ and click "Get Started" to be directed to an online Federal Postcard Application and instructions for your state.

Emergency Ballots

The Federal Write-in Ballot (FWAB) serves as an emergency ballot for voters who registered in time but fail to receive an official ballot from local election officials. Please note: You must register to vote and request an absentee ballot by your state's deadline, which is usually 30 days before the election to be eligible to use the FWAB.

Questions?

The Federal Voting Assistance Program has a wealth of information about absentee voting including state-specific instructions for completing the voter registration card, links to state and local officials and a down-loadable emergency ballot.  The Voting Assistance Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá is also always available to answer questions about absentee voting.  To contact the Voting Assistance Officer, please send an e-mail to VoteBogota@state.gov.