Calling US Citizens: How to Vote While Abroad

The countdown has begun – US elections are rapidly approaching!  Tuesday, 6 November is merely 7 weeks away.  So it’s time to get your absentee ballot from your Registrar of Voters if you will be away from home on Election Day. 

If you are registered in a “home” city, state, just contact your Registrar of Voters via phone, email, mail.  Ask for Absentee Ballot.  [If you don’t have contact info for your local Registrar of Voters, go to google.com, in the search box enter “TownName, StateName, Registrar of Voters” – website listings come up - click on the official government one.]

Live overseas with no US home base anymore?  No problem!  US citizens can vote in federal elections wherever they live.  Visit the Federal Voter Assistance Program, complete the voter registration form online and mail it back to them with postage. It’s a much quicker and simpler process.  Good Voting Resource: General Voting Resource from the Federal Government.

Either your Registrar of Voters will send you your local absentee ballot, or you can use FVAP not only to register to vote but also to request an absentee ballot for the state where you are registered to vote.  Use the step-by-step online “wizard.”  Or print out the form and handwrite your answers, then mail your ballot.

The process keeps getting faster and easier, so there’s no excuse for not voting.  Besides, if you don’t vote, you have no right to complain if “your guy” loses and “that other Worthless-POS” wins.  Don’t let WPOSs win!  Vote.

May your road rise to meet you!

Ann