Absentee Voting Information for Americans Abroad

The Voting Assistance Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou is always available to answer questions about absentee voting.  To contact the Voting Assistance Officer, call 020-8518-7605, send an e-mail to VoteGuangzhou@state.gov, or visit the American Citizen Services Unit in Guangzhou, Monday-Friday 9:00-11:30 AM and 1:30-3:00 PM.

The following is the basic absentee voting process:

• You complete an application form (see below) and send it to local election officials in the U.S.
• The local official approves your request, or contacts you for further information
• The local official sends you an absentee ballot
• You vote the ballot and send it back in time to meet your state's deadline
To register to vote and to request an absentee ballot, you may fill out the paper form at ACS, or download the Federal Post Card Application.
You can also obtain this form from overseas American citizens groups or from the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate.  Fill it out and send it in, following the guidelines for your state.  For your convenience there is a postage-paid envelope template.  You can drop off your postage-paid ballot or registration materials at the Consulate, and we will mail them back to the U.S. free of charge.  You may also put your application in a regular envelope and use international mail service.

The best online source for absentee voting information

The official U.S. Government website for overseas absentee voting assistance is the Federal Voting Assistance Program website at www.fvap.gov.  It has a wealth of information about absentee voting, including the downloadable absentee ballot applications and write-in ballots, state-specific instructions for completing the form, links to state and local officials, and a downloadable emergency ballot.  This site is continually updated and has the most current information regarding deadlines and voting requirements for your state.

What about my state’s requirements?

Each state establishes voting procedures, and so requirements across the country vary.  It is important to be aware of your state’s deadlines for registration.  Specific information about your state's procedures is available at state's deadlines to register and vote, as well as their voting procedures is available here.  A complete 2008 election calendar is available.
There may be last minute changes to your state's voting calendar, procedures or deadlines.  When these occur, the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) will issue a News Release.  To add your name to the distribution list for News Releases, send an e-mail to vote@fvap.ncr.gov. 
Again, we strongly encourage you to begin this process as soon as possible.  Should questions or problems occur, you would still be able to address them in time to vote in your state’s general elections.   

Who Can Vote from Overseas?

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act UOCAVA allows certain U.S. citizens vote in absentia, including members of the U.S. Uniformed Services on active duty and their family members while away from their place of voting residence, wherever stationed, within or outside the United States.

The UOCAVA also applies to U.S. citizens residing outside the United States and its territories. These citizens may vote in the state or territory where they last resided immediately prior to departing the United States, even if many years have elapsed and the citizen maintains no residence in the state or territory and the intent to return to that state or territory may not be certain. Most states and territories permit these citizens to vote in elections for Federal offices only, although some states may send a ballot containing local, state and Federal offices.

Note that the UOCAVA provides that voting for Federal offices shall not affect the determination of the voter's place of residence for purpose of any tax imposed under Federal, state or local law. Liability for state income tax, however, may be incurred in some states by voting absentee in state or local elections. To assess the probability of incurring state taxes on income earned outside the United States, you may wish to consult legal counsel for details.

Registering to Vote

In order to register to vote and/or to request an Absentee Ballot, an eligible US citizen must complete a Federal Post Card Application form (FPCA) and submit that to the proper US election official. The FPCA is used to register to vote in federal, state, and local elections, to request an absentee ballot, and to report changes of address. 

The extent and manner of FPCA usage is controlled by state and territory law, and sometimes by local procedure.  For information on your state's requirements, please visit the Federal Voting Application Program (FVAP) website, or contact the American Citizens Services office at VoteGuangzhou@state.gov.

The deadline for submitting the FPCA may vary from state to state.  In order to ensure timely delivery of the election ballot to you, every non-registered citizen is urged to submit the FPCA at least 60 days prior to the election; registered citizens are urged to submit the FPCA at least 45 days before the election.

If your state instructs you to notarize the Federal Post Card Application FPCA form and/or your Voting Ballot form, the American Citizens Services unit can perform this service free of charge during Consulate ACS opening hours. 

How to Keep Election Officials Informed of Your Current Address

FVAP recommends that overseas voters complete and submit the FPCA every year, in January, and whenever you move.
When completing the FPCA indicate your new address and your old address.  Completion instructions for each state can be found in Chapter 3 of the 2008-2009 Voting Assistance Guide.  In addition to informing the local election official of your current mailing address, submitting the FPCA confirms your registration and acts as a request for absentee ballots for any subsequent elections.

It is important to include a voter registration number or Social Security Number, and any further information that can help the local election official properly identify you.

Submit an address change early enough so that you have enough time to receive, vote your ballot, and return it to the local election official to meet state deadlines.  
If you return to your state of legal voting residence, be sure to notify your local election official that you plan on voting at the polls in the next election.

How to Mail Your FPCA and Ballot

The U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou is able to return ballots and FPCAs through government mail free of charge.  Feel free to drop off completed ballots with the American Citizen Services (ACS) Unit of the Consulate.  Overseas voters who send Federal Post Card Applications (FPCAs), voted ballots and/or Federal Write-in Absentee Ballots (FWABs) through the Consulate no longer need to affix U.S. postage stamps to envelopes containing forms that they downloaded or received by fax.  By using a downloadable postage-paid return envelope template available on the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), voters can print out a postage-paid return envelope template directly onto an envelope or onto a piece of paper that can then be taped to an envelope.  Information and instructions are located here. 
Voters who send their FPCAs or ballots via the Chinese mail system need to affix host country postage stamps.

Some states now allow emailing of blank ballots from the local election official to the voter as well as the return of the voted ballot from the voter to the local election official by email.  Please check your state’s requirements.

Electronic Transmission of Election Materials—It May Save Your Vote!

With primaries already in full swing, you want to make sure that you know all of your options when filling out, voting, and sending materials.
Insufficient mail transit time is a common obstacle that many citizens covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) encounter when voting by absentee ballot. The FVAP Electronic Transmission Service (ETS - email and fax) has been very successful in improving delivery of voting materials. The service is an effective and efficient alternative to the by-mail delivery of election materials between local election officials and UOCAVA voters (where permitted by state law). With proper controls in place, the service can reduce the ballot transit time at least by half, helping to ensure that citizens are able to cast a ballot when they would not otherwise have been able to vote due to time and location constraints.

To date, 51 states and territories allow for some type of electronic transmission of absentee voting materials for UOCAVA citizens. The provisions and guidelines for transmitting election materials electronically are identified in each state and territory section of the 2008-09 Voting Assistance Guide (the Guide is available in hardcopy format or online at the FVAP Website www.fvap.gov). To maintain the integrity of the process, citizens should follow the instructions provided in Appendix B of the Guide.   An ETS transmission sheet, which can be duplicated for repeat use, is provided on page 433.

In addition to Appendix B the following guidance is provided for those citizens whose state allows electronic transmission:
 
- A citizen should provide a Commercial return phone and fax number (not DSN numbers) and an email address. Email has proven to be an effective means of communication between the local election official and the citizen.

- The fax number should include country & city codes and be listed as it would be dialed from the U.S.

- In the "Remarks" section of the FPCA, provide additional information that may assist the local election official in determining your eligibility to vote. For example, a maiden name (or name used in previous registration). An alternate telephone number of a local contact can be listed in this section in the event the local election official has difficulty contacting you through the numbers provided on the form.

- Ensure the correct local election official (county, city or town office) is specified.

- Each request must have a separate completed cover sheet.

- Only one Federal Post Card application (FPCA) or ballot should be transmitted at a time whether by fax or email. (Use separate transmissions.)

- Originals should be mailed after electronic transmission.

- When faxing election materials, we recommend use of the FVAP ETS at DSN
(military) 223-5527, (703) 693-5527 or toll-free 1-800-368-8683. Refer to Appendix B of the Guide for emailing instructions.

- If a state or territory allows electronic transmission of the voted ballot, the voter must sign a statement waiving his or her right to secrecy.

Emergency ballots

An emergency ballot is available but may only be used if you have registered before the deadline but have not received your ballot.  If the ballot receipt deadline is approaching, and you have not yet received the blank ballot from local officials, you can download an emergency ballot, write in the names of the candidates and the offices for which they are running, and mail it back in time to meet your state's ballot receipt deadline.  The emergency ballot (SF-186, Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, or FWAB) is available on the Internet.  Please check your state’s information on the requirements for submitting the write-in absentee ballot.

Faxing your ballot

Many states will allow you to fax in your ballot to ensure that it is counted in time.  If you fax your ballot, you must also mail it in.  Check your state’s requirements at http://www.fvap.gov/reference/links/index.html
There is a toll-free fax number which you can use from China: 10-800-712-0855.

Additional Resources:

Be an educated voter.  Non-partisan information about candidates, their voting records, and their positions on issues is widely available and easy to obtain via the Internet.  Use the links appearing on the Federal Voting Assistance Program website or choose any one of several search engines to locate articles and information. 
Check if your state or local Board of Elections has a website.  If so, it is probably fastest to make your absentee ballot request directly to them. You can also find information at:
www.republicansabroad.org
www.overseasvotefoundation.org
www.democratsabroad.org

FVAP Contact Information

If after reviewing the site you still have additional questions, you can contact the FVAP by email at vote@fvap.ncr.gov or by phone Toll Free Telephone and FAX at http://www.fvap.gov/contact/toll-free-phone/index.html. During non-business hours, citizens may leave a message.  When doing so, please leave sufficient information to allow FVAP staff to get back in touch with you in a timely manner.  Indicate the country you are calling from and leave a complete telephone number including international prefixes and email address (if available).  In order to access the Voting Information Center (VIC), the call must be placed on a touch-tone phone.