1. Through your newsletter, events, e-mail and/or web site, remind American club members that they can vote in any federal election (and that it does not affect their tax status). Tell voters to register online, using the Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF) registration wizard. The voter chooses the state and the wizard prompts him/her through the rest of the Federal Post Card Application (FCPA). Get your club web person to put a link to OVF on the home page of the club web site.
OVF (https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/overseas/home.htm )
2. Tell voters to check their registration status online, and to contact their local election officials, using the OVF directory, if there are problems.
Can I vote? (http://www.canivote.org/ )
OVF election official directory (https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/overseas/eod.htm)
3. Tell voters how to get information on candidates and issues from: the League of Women Voters , Democrats Abroad , Republicans Abroad and American newspapers, many of which are online, and web sites. FactCheck.Org and a new web site, Politifact , check the truth of claims by and attacks on candidates.
League of Women Voters (http://www.vote411.org )
Democrats Abroad (http://www.democratsabroad.org )
Republicans Abroad (http://www.republicansabroad.org )
FactCheck.Org (http://www.factcheck.org )
Politifact (http://www.politifact.com)
4. When ballots arrive, voters must fill them out and return them in good time. Unfortunately, the biggest reason for failing to vote is the failure of ballots to arrive in a timely fashion. If voters have not received their ballots by mid-October 2008, tell them to fill out a Federal Write-in Ballot (FWAB); it’s available online the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP). The Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF) has a FWAB wizard that will prompt you through the form (go to home page and click on Federal Absentee Write-in Ballot).
OVF FWAB wizard (https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/overseas/home.htm )
FVAP FWAB (http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefwab.html )
5. For further information or trouble-shooting, contact the FAWCO Voting from Overseas Committee, FVAP or OVF.
FAWCO Voting from Overseas Committee ( )
FVAP Contact us (http://www.fvap.gov/contactus.html
OVF Voter Help Desk (http://www.ovf-vhd.org )