Everyone’s new reality includes locking down and/or social distancing to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our societies against COVID-19. This goes for FAWCO and its member clubs, of course. So what do we do? Take our voter registration and assistance activities online, of course.

The following are some suggestions, and lists of resources available from our partner, the US Vote Foundation, and the Federal Voter Assistance Program (FVAP). To add your own suggestions and ideas to FAWCO’s arsenal, to join FAWCO’s US Voting Committee and/or to ask questions, email .

Note: Owing to the need for social distancing, several states have changed the dates of their primary elections. Get correct current lists from both the US Vote Foundation (alphabetically by state) and FVAP (listed by date or given in calendar view).  

What you and your club can do

1. “Secure your own oxygen mask before attempting to assist others.” That means that you need to be sure that you are registered before trying to help others do so. So go to FAWCO’s partner, the US Vote Foundation, or FVAP, fill out the form online, send it to your local election official by the method recommended or instructed. In view of disruptions to mail delivery, request that your ballot be delivered electronically if your state permits (and return your ballot in the same way if possible). Then check with that official a couple of weeks later to be sure you’re on the rolls. (Urge all other voters to do the same – when you get to them.) Urge message recipients to pass the message to other Americans.
2. Give voting information in the signature of your email, and voting graphics and information on your website and social-media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Do this for your club website and accounts, too. Use materials from the Foundation or FVAP (links below).
3. Give information on voting in your club newsletter and at virtual meetings of your club and interest groups, and/or have dedicated virtual events for voter registration and information. Do/Offer the same for any other group you belong to, and any US expat group operating in your vicinity.
4. Use the updated information and resources provided by FAWCO; get them from the US Voting section of the FAWCO website, updated monthly; the quarterly US Liaison Bulletin; and News in Brief (NiB), which goes monthly to club FAWCO Reps.
5. Answer voters’ questions yourself, if you have the knowledge, or direct them to FAWCO (), the US Vote Foundation or FVAP: both the latter have FAQs and help desks. (Some US embassy/consulate officials can do this, too, but they are operating with reduced capacity at present.)

Digital outreach resources

US Vote Foundation

The Foundation's materials are available on different pages of its website and include:

1. primary election/caucus voting checklist: checklist with links to services; 
2. voter outreach banner kit, with banners and “I Voted” badges for Facebook and websites;
3. voter reward badges for posting on emails and social media 
4. Study Abroad and Vote Toolkit (with information useful to all overseas voters, not just students), including and excellent flyer, "Will my Absentee Ballot be Counted?", striking down the worst myth about overseas voting;

The Foundation also actively posts on Twitter on a range of voting-related issues.

FVAP

FVAP offers a large variety of printed and online materials, including short videos, on the voting process. Everything is listed on one page of its website; scroll down for lists of and links to digital materials and instructions for organizations serving overseas citizens.

All FVAP materials skew military, because FVAP serves the military as well as civilian voters, but options for overseas civilians appear under every heading, including videos about voting from different countries (the United Kingdom, France and Japan) that can be useful to FAWCO clubs.

The same page also has a link to FVAP's Voting Assistance Guide (VAG), a handy tool for registering voters and assisting them with problems.