Information on Voting from Overseas for Newcomers
Since 1975 U.S. law has provided that adult citizens living overseas can vote in U.S. elections. The process is different from voting in the States, but not necessarily more difficult.
* You vote absentee in the Election District of your last residence in the U.S. before you left to live abroad. You must know the exact address of this residence.
* Eleven states have legislation in place to allow the children of at least one U.S. citizen parent to vote at the same address as the parent, even if they never lived there. Other states usually accept this procedure.
* Any time during an election year you may submit to your Election District a filled-in Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), which will serve - in all states - both to request a ballot for each election that year, and to register, if necessary. This should be accomplished at least 45 days before Election Day.
* Note particularly that, by law, the act of voting from overseas for Federal office only (i.e., President, Vice President, Senator, and Representative in the House) cannot be used as a reason to change your tax status at the federal, state or local level. Voting a full ballot depends on your state, and is your decision. Some states automatically provide a federal-offices-only ballot for overseas voters.
* As the organization of elections is a state's right under the U.S. Constitution, each state has different regulations for voting absentee from overseas. Before submitting an FPCA, therefore, you must consult the regulations for your state, published in the Voting Assistance Guide (VAG) by the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), where you can also find the address to which you must send your completed FPCA. Note that many states require your social security number; some your passport number; and a very few still require witnesses or - worse! - notarization.
* We are hoping to eliminate such obstacles to voting overseas. The new "Help America Vote Act of 2002" has "helped" a bit, as have the initiatives of many states.
Where to get the help and materials you need:
* All U.S. Embassies and Consulates have Voting Assistance Officers and supplies of materials to aid you.
* The website of the FVAP - www.fvap.gov - offers information and instruction, plus an on-line FPCA (NB: Ohio is the only state that does not accept this version). For specific questions that cannot be answered locally, they offer free phone lines in some 60 countries, which are listed in the VAG. The FVAP can also be easily reached by email: .
* The Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas (FAWCO) website has information that is continuously up-dated, particularly in each election year. Go to www.fawco.org and click on the Voting-from-Overseas Committee.
* Your own American women's club should have a trained Voting Assistance Volunteer who will have the necessary materials as well as information for you. Consult your club's FAWCO Rep.
Remember, you can still support your country's democratic principles by voting absentee from overseas!
Kathy Webster, Chair, FAWCO Voting-from-Overseas Committee
October 2003
