Voting

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Message for U.S. Citizens: Runoff Elections in Georgia/Louisiana

Voting by Absentee Ballot from Montenegro

Same day in-person voting is not available outside the United States

Now all U.S. citizens can receive their blank ballots electronically. Depending on the state in which you are eligible to vote, you may get your ballot by email, fax, or internet download. To start, go to www.FVAP.gov to complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), print and sign the form then return it to your local election office in the United States. We recommend overseas U.S. citizens get in the habit of completing FPCAs each January. You should include your email address on the form so it’s easier for your election officials to reach you if there is a problem. If your state delivers ballots electronically by fax only, be sure to include your fax number. If you request electronic delivery and include your email address or fax number, you’ll receive your blank ballot 45 days before general and mid-term elections and generally 30 days before special, primary, and run-off elections for federal offices. Most states now have voter registration verification websites, and many offer a means of tracking the status of your registration and ballot.

 IMPORTANT NOTE: States are no longer required to automatically send ballots to voters for an entire election cycle so everyone who wants to vote in U.S. elections from overseas should send in a new Federal Post Card Application in January of each year.

For more information and guidance, please follow this link at FVAP.gov .

You may follow the same straightforward process to obtain ballots for both federal and local elections. You need to submit a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to the voting officials in the appropriate state in the United States. Once they have received it and confirmed your registration, they will send you an absentee ballot by mail, e-mail, or fax. You can then fill out and return this ballot according to the instructions provided along with the ballot itself. Unfortunately, the Embassy and Consulates in Germany do not supply state-specific ballots, nor can you vote there on Election Day. You can, however, deliver your Absentee Ballot or Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot to the Embassy or Consulate for mailing through the U.S. Postal Service at no cost.  We encourage all citizens to use electronic options to submit your ballots when available, however, as this is the fastest and most secure way to ensure your vote is counted.

You vote in the state where you have a “voting residence.” A voting residence is the legal residence or domicile in which you could vote if you were present in that state. The rules for determining that state depend on your status overseas.

  • Overseas citizens (not affiliated with the U.S. Government) must vote in their last state of residence immediately prior to departure from the United States. This rule applies even if the voter no longer maintains a residence in that state or has any intention of returning to it.
  • Military and Merchant Marine members, and their spouses and dependents, may register to vote in the state that the member claims as his or her residence
  • Civilian U.S. Government employees overseas, and their spouses and dependents, generally register in the state they claim as their legal residence.
  • American citizens who have never resided in the United States should apply to the state where their American citizen parent(s) last resided, although they should be aware that not all states will grant such a request. Please refer to the state instructions.

Take these three steps to register to vote abroad:

  1. To obtain an application, called a Federal Post Card Application, go to the Federal Voting Assistance Program
  2. complete it, and
  3. mail/electronically submit the application to your state.

Step One:
Obtaining the Application. You may obtain a Federal Post Card Application in a number of different ways. You may print one from the Federal Voting Assistance Program website or the Overseas Vote Foundation website; pick one up at any of the various voter registration events that occur in Germany during an election year; email or fax a request to your state of residence, or contact your local consulate in Germany.

Step Two:
Completing the Application. The Federal Post Card Application form comes with its own set of general instructions. A good rule of thumb is to apply at least 45 days before the election to ensure that you get your materials in time to send them back before Election Day. Note also that many states will now send you your blank ballot via e-mail or fax, a service that significantly speeds up the process.

Step Three:
Mailing/Electronically Submitting the Application. After you have completed the Federal Post Card Application, address it to the appropriate city or county office found in the instructions.

If you choose to send the card through the German postal system, you must affix international postage. If you drop the card off at the Embassy or a Consulate, we can send it through the U.S. postal system at no cost. You can also submit your application electronically in all states.  Please follow your state’s rules on electronic submission.  Assistance for your state may be found on the Federal Voting Assistance Program website.

If all goes well, your local state officials will register you and send you a ballot which you will fill out and return according to the instructions you are given. In some cases, local officials may need to contact you in order to confirm your prior residency in the state and your citizenship before they will send you a ballot. It is important to provide accurate contact information on the FPCA and to explain any unusual circumstances in the space provided.

Yes, many states will now send you your blank ballot via e-mail or fax, a service that significantly speeds up the process.

Ballot receipt deadlines vary by state. Check the Federal Voting Assistance Program website or the Overseas Vote Foundation website for information about your state.

If you have not received your ballot, and your postcard application was mailed in time to be received by your local election official 30 days prior to the election, you may be eligible to use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot to vote for federal offices. This ballot may be used only for general elections and is an emergency backup for voters who expect to be able to use the regular absentee ballot but who did not receive that ballot in time to vote and return it. The federal write-in ballot must be received by the local election official no later than the deadline for receipt of regular absentee ballots under state law.

You may obtain a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot from your Embassy or Consulate, or on-line at the Federal Voting Assistance Program website or the Overseas Vote Foundation website. If you receive your state ballot after you have submitted the federal absentee ballot, you still must submit the state ballot. The state ballot, not the federal absentee ballot, will then be counted.

The Federal Post Card Application is the form you use to register to vote. You send this form to your state, county, or precinct so that officials know you are a voter there.

The Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot is the emergency backup voting ballot for those individuals who did not receive their regular ballot in time to vote and return it.

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