Will US democracy survive 2024?

The survival of US democracy is at stake in 2024. A leading candidate for President has declared that if he wins, he will gut the civil service and use the Presidency to take revenge on everyone he deems to have wronged him. Project 2025 is being organized to supply officials who would do his bidding. US election officials are being bombarded with death threats. Both Democratic and Republican politicians – and even the White House, as well as judges and court officials – have been “swatted”: “false reporting in order to generate a police response to another person’s address.” FAWCO’s US Voting Committee has already pointed to other threats, such as the persistence of the Big Lie, no matter how many times it is proved to be false.

Overseas American voters: shorter election year, higher barriers to voting

In addition, overseas Americans have a shorter time to act and face higher barriers than voters in the US. Our “election year” is not much more than nine months. Voters in the US can register at any time; we can only start registering on January 1 of each election year, must re-register in every election year and face shorter registration deadlines and an earlier Election Day. Voter suppression laws have moved registration deadlines up in the calendar, and “one in 6 voters live in anticipated 2024 battleground states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – with new ID requirements.” Further, while federal law requires states that ballots are to be sent to overseas voters at least 45 days before the election (Saturday, September 21, 2024), we need to return our ballots about a month before Election Day (Tuesday, November 5, 2024) to be sure that our votes are counted.

FAWCO’s US Voting Committee urges all overseas voters to spring into action in 2024 to ensure that they vote in this vital election. We will regularly post new information and advice, and are always available for your questions and to accept new Committee members (email: ).

What you can do: Make your plan to vote in 2024

Overseas Americans can register to vote and submit a ballot from anywhere in the world! It’s easy – but act fast and make a plan to be sure that your vote is counted.

Start by confirming your voter registration with your state. Some states require absentee voters to register annually, so you may need to re-register. Go to the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) or to the US Vote Foundation to register to vote/request a ballot, and more. Follow a few simple steps to vote in the 2024 US elections.

1. Register/Request your ballot as soon as possible.
2. Receive and complete your ballot, carefully following the instructions accompanying it.
3. Return your completed, signed ballot as fast as possible.

Voting from overseas is a little like taking a test in school: you have to follow all the instructions to ensure that your ballot will be counted, as well as completing and returning your voted ballot as fast as you can.

Questions? Contact FAWCO’s US Voting Committee (email: ).

1. Register/Request your ballot.

Most states provide the option to request ballots through their state election portals, which you can easily access via FVAP. You can also choose to complete a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). Completing an FPCA allows you to request absentee ballots for all elections for federal offices (US Senate and US House of Representatives in 2022), including primaries and special elections during the calendar year in which it is submitted. You can also vote for state and local offices if you fill out the FPCA in a particular way.

Any local election official, in any US state and territory, will accept an FPCA that:

1. is correctly filled out; and
2. includes the voter’s signature and date.

FVAP’s easy online assistant or the US Vote Foundation’s voter help desk can help you complete your FPCA.

Whether you request your ballot through your state’s portal or by FPCA, please check the boxes that:

1. request ballots for all elections during 2024; and
2. ensure you will receive your ballots electronically (by email, Internet download, or fax).

This is the fastest way for you to get your ballot and to ensure you can complete and return it before your state’s deadline.

2. Receive and complete your ballot.

States are required to send out ballots 45 days before a regular election for federal office, and states generally send out ballots at least 30 days before primary elections. Most states allow you to confirm your ballot delivery online; FVAP provides links to many state elections sites, as does the US Vote Foundation.

As soon as it arrives, fill out your ballot right away, carefully following the instructions.

Election day for people in the USA is Tuesday, November 5, 2024. To be counted, overseas ballots need to be sent in much earlier. If your ballot does not arrive by October 4, 2024, get a Federal Write-in Ballot (FWAB) from FVAP and fill it out right away, carefully following the instructions. If your regular ballot arrives after you have sent in a FWAB, vote and return it, too – your local election official will figure out which one to count.

3. Return your completed, signed ballot.

To be counted, your ballot must reach your local election official before the deadline set for your state. Some states allow you to return your completed ballot electronically. If your state requires you to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials by mail, you can do that through international mail, professional courier service or sometimes your consulate or embassy’s diplomatic pouch.

(The diplomatic pouch provides free mail service from embassies and consulates to a US sorting facility. You will need to place your ballots in postage-paid return envelopes or in envelopes bearing sufficient US postage in order for them to be delivered to the proper local election authorities. Please note that mail sent by an embassy or consulate via diplomatic pouch can take up to three weeks to reach its destination. All overseas US citizens are advised to submit their forms and ballots accordingly.)

Researching the candidates and issues: online resources

Thanks to the Internet, researching candidates and issues is easy.

The FVAP links page offers helpful resources to aid your research of candidates and issues, and the US Vote Foundation offers helpful FAQs for overseas voters.

Nonpartisan information about candidates, their voting records and their positions on issues is widely available and easy to obtain online – from the League of Women Voters, for example. You can also read national and hometown newspapers online, or search the Internet to locate articles and information.

FAWCO also regularly offers information, support and advice through the US Voting Committee (email: ) and here on its website.

Sources

2023–2024 swatting of American politicians. Wikipedia, March 7, 2024.   

Allen C. 29 million Americans live under new voter ID laws put in place since 2020. NBC News, March 3, 2024.

Burgher, MS. Get Ready Now to Register to Vote on New Year’s Day 2024. FAWCO, December 3, 2023.

Schwartz B. Trump-allied election groups burned through millions with no evidence of widespread fraud. CNBC, March 5, 2024.