Yesterday the citizens of Iowa (my wife’s home state) kicked off a series of primaries and caucuses that culminate with the general election on November 6.  Voting is one of our most important rights.  Every American citizen retains that right even if they are not in the United States on election day.  And one of our most important responsibilities at the U.S. Mission in Canada is to assist U.S. citizens to exercise that right to vote in U.S. elections.  If you’re not sure where to start, we are here to help you with the process. 

If you plan to vote by absentee ballot in the 2012 elections, now is the time to get started.  Although voting through absentee ballots may not be new to many Americans living in Canada, I want to make sure you know that for 2012 there has been a change to the process.  Starting this year, all overseas voters who want to cast an absentee ballot are required to submit a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) each year. This includes citizens registering to vote for the first time as well as those who have submitted absentee ballots in the past.  

Technology is making the voting process easier for Americans overseas.  Through the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) http://www.fvap.gov, you can ask your local election officials to provide blank ballots to you electronically and you can confirm your registration and ballot delivery online.  If you’ve never registered to vote or you aren’t sure in which state you should register, FVAP can also help with that.  And if you can’t find your answer there, we will help you, just contact the Embassy or nearest U.S. Consulate for information and assistance.   http://canada.usembassy.gov/consulates.html 

Please take a moment to download and fill out an FPCA at https://www.fvap.gov/r3/privacyactnotice.  Some states allow you to submit the FPCA online; otherwise you can mail the FPCA yourself or drop by the Embassy or nearest Consulate to give your form to a consular officer who will forward the FPCA in the pre-paid envelope to the appropriate office.  http://canada.usembassy.gov/consulates.html 

As the President has observed, every Election Day underscores the strength and resilience of American democracy.  Regardless of the outcome, power in the United States rests with the people.  That is at the core of our system of representative and accountable government.  

I will be voting in the Illinois primary and in the General Election.  Our consular staff in the Embassy and Consulates General across Canada will do everything we can to ensure American citizens in Canada have the information they need to cast their votes. 

Please join me in this civic responsibility. 

DJ

Tags: absentee ballot, Election, Election 2012, Federal Voting Assistance Program, FPCA, FVAP, Iowa, overseas ballot, U.S. Mission Canada, Vote

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 at 3:16 pm and is filed under January 2012. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.