US Voting Rights under Attack: How Overseas Voters Can Navigate the Chaos

Overseas voters’ Election Day 2026 is right around the corner: the deadline for state ballot dispatch is 50 days away. While the details of the situation change from day to day, overseas voters need to understand that their rights are under attack, stay informed and act accordingly to protect and to exercise them in 2026.

This article focuses on what individual voters should do, including alternatives to using the US Postal Service (USPS) to receive or return your ballot. Other articles (here and here) discuss how FAWCO clubs can help by informing and working with members and the wider community.

To ask questions, make suggestions or help FAWCO support the rights of overseas voters, contact FAWCO’s US Voting Committee ().

The problem: attempted federal takeover of 2026 elections

Making baseless claims about voter fraud, the current US federal administration is trying to take control of the 2026 elections, even though the Constitution explicitly gives that power to the states and Congress alone. It has also dismantled federal structures that support election security, such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The Guardian gives a good summary of the current state of play:

… administration drive to seize election powers sparking ‘chaos’ despite pushback

[warnings] that moves are endangering voting rights and the rule of law

FAWCO has chronicled the escalating attacks on the rights of overseas voters—particularly those who have not lived in the USA for long enough as adults—since at least 2024.

What to do

Every overseas voter should:

1. ensure you are registered to vote
2. make a plan to ensure that you cast a valid ballot that will be counted, and revise it if necessary.

Doing these things requires you to stay informed about events as they unfold. Contact FAWCO () for help and advice if problems arise.

You can also support US voting rights by:

• sharing your views with your elected representatives; and
• supporting organizations fighting for democracy and voting rights, such as the Brennan Center for Justice, Democracy Docket and Democracy Forward.

To contact your Representative and Senators in Congress, phone the Capitol switchboard at +1 (202) 224-3121 and ask for their offices by name. If you’re not sure of those names, look up your Representative by a search using the zip code of your US voting address. You can also look up your elected officials’ direct office numbers on the websites of the House of Representatives and the Senate. If you’re not sure how to talk to your Congresspeople, organizations such as 5 Calls have sample scripts on various issues. Be courteous and factual.

Ensure you are registered to vote

Follow FAWCO’s detailed advice on registration. It remains valid, although the reliability of the USPS is now in doubt. Particularly important tips include the following.

1. Fill out your Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) form online, preferably using a nonpartisan website, such as those of the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) or the US Vote Foundation. On your FCPA, be careful to (a) request electronic ballot delivery and (b) check the box asking to vote in every election during the year for which you are eligible. All states allow you to return the FPCA electronically; use that method as it is the fastest.
2. A week or so after sending in the form, contact your local election official (LEO) to confirm that you are on the active voting rolls. Your LEO’s contact details are on the PDF generated with your FPCA; you can also find them on the FVAP and US Voting Foundation
3. Owing to state and federal attacks on voting rolls, reconfirm your right to vote with your LEO at least once before the election, and well before your state’s deadline for registration (see FVAP or the US Vote Foundation). This will allow you to submit a new FPCA if necessary.
4.  

Make a plan to ensure that you cast a valid ballot that will be counted, and revise it if necessary

Keep informed by consulting trustworthy information sources, including FAWCO. The US Voting Committee will do its best to inform you of developments that affect overseas voters through the FAWCO website, committee members and publications such as News in Brief and the US Liaison Bulletin. Click here to subscribe to them.

Your voting plan should have three steps.

1. Make sure you are and remain registered to vote. Check your status with your LEO as described above.
2. Receive and complete your ballot, carefully and correctly following all of your state’s rules.
3. Return your completed, signed ballot as fast as possible and ensure that it will arrive before your state’s deadline.

Depending on court decisions and the reactions of the federal and state governments, you may need to change your plan in order to vote successfully. The hostile climate means that you should research your options, especially for ballot return, preferably now.

Receive and complete your ballot

States are required to send out ballots no later than 45 days before a regular election for federal office: September 19, 2026. Most states allow you to confirm your ballot delivery online; FVAP and the US Vote Foundation give links to many state elections sites.

As soon as it arrives, fill out your ballot right away, carefully following the instructions. Be sure that you:

1. use the same signature on your ballot envelope that you used on your FCPA; and
2. include the date in the format requested.

Without your correct signature and the date, your ballot won't be counted.

If your ballot does not reach you by September 26, 2026, 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 that, correctly vote and return it, too. Your LEO will figure out which one to count.

Return your completed, signed ballot before your state’s deadline

To be counted, your ballot must reach your LEO before the deadline set by your state (see FVAP or the US Vote Foundation for these deadlines).

Using the USPS for ballot delivery in the USA (this includes using the diplomatic pouch) seems increasingly unreliable. Consider alternatives to USPS for ballot return. Keep an eye on the news, and consider returning your ballot by other means.

If your state allows electronic return of your completed ballot, use that avenue. You can also use fax if your state allows it, even if you do not have a fax machine. See the details on how to do this here. Note that FVAP has stopped its service of faxing overseas voters’ election materials to LEOs, and that using fax means that your ballot will not be anonymous.

You can also use a carrier service (DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.); it’s generally the quickest non-electronic option for ballot return. You must use the street address for your local election office; carriers can’t deliver to a PO Box. Don’t request a signature; most offices won’t sign for a package. And get a dated slip in case you need to show that it was submitted on or before election day.

You should—and some states require you to—ask for a postmark or date stamp to be placed on the outer envelope. Follow the instructions that come with your ballot to be sure it is correctly marked; that is crucial to its being counted.

Get help if problems arise

Report problems with registration or voting to FVAP (at ), the US Vote Foundation’s Voter Help Desk and FAWCO (at ) for help and advice. All three organizations collect information on voting experience after each election, but it’s much better to get help that enables you to vote this year, rather than in the next election.