Need help?

gregv · #1 29.09.2008, 13:16

If you've got helpful links to resources to help American Expats register to vote or to vote please post them to this thread.

For now there's the link on the announcement:

www.votefromabroad.org

Additionally, if you've got questions about voting in the election, please post them here.

This thread is not for partisan political discussions, such posts belong elsewhere on the forum.

dakman · #2 29.09.2008, 13:35

First question, I signed up 4 years ago and voted absentee also got an absentee ballot for the mid terms, does that mean the great state of New Jersey will send me a ballot this time around or do I need to re register?

gregv · #3 29.09.2008, 13:44

	Quote:	dakman
	First question, I signed up 4 years ago and voted absentee also got an absentee ballot for the mid terms, does that mean the great state of New Jersey will send me a ballot this time around or do I need to re register?

I'd say it's always a good idea to check with the elections commission for your local state and county. The county I vote in allows me to see if I am still registered. They should also send you a voter registration card. I'm set up for ongoing absentee voting.

dakman · #4 29.09.2008, 13:50

	Quote:	gregv
	I'd say it's always a good idea to check with the elections commission for your local state and county. The county I vote in allows me to see if I am still registered. They should also send you a voter registration card. I'm set up for ongoing absentee voting.

Thanks, will check but you come from the more enlightened area of the country where things like checking are easy. This is New Jersey, where I think Jimmy Hoffa still gets to vote.

gregv · #5 29.09.2008, 13:57

Here's some more information:

	Quote:
	Twenty-five states have registration deadlines in the next two weeks. Voters in the following states (who have not yet registered and/or requested their ballots) must ensure that their FPCAs are sent in NOW! Oct. 4 – Illinois, Nevada, South Carolina Oct. 5 – Alaska, Mississippi Oct. 6 – Colorado, DC, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wyoming Oct. 8 – Missouri Oct. 10 – Idaho, New York All of these states except for NY and WY will accept faxed FPCAs. Please use the following US fax number: +1-703-693-5527 (the toll free numbers in many parts of the world do not work). All faxes are received in Virginia by the Federal Voting Assistance Program. The FVAP will log in the date and time that the fax was received and then forward it on to your local election official. For deadline purposes, your form is deemed received when it arrives on the FVAP's fax machine, but you still must MAIL the original form to your local election official. Exceptions: NY and WY do NOT accept faxes. The only way to meet the deadlines for NY and WY is to ensure that your original FPCA arrives in the local election office by mail no later than the deadline. (NY and WY will also accept FPCAs by commercial courier.) NOTE: FPCAs need NOT carry a foreign postmark.

Swiss Cheddar · #6 29.09.2008, 14:24

Gave you a 'thanks' for this thread, even though i am not American.

It was a good idea for a thread and maybe will steamroll others (Americans) to thank you for it.

cheers
SC

#7 29.09.2008, 18:12

Here is some information for mailing options for registration/ballots within Switzerland.

If you live near Bern, you can drop your ballot off at the embassy - although it looks like it might take 2 weeks to get to the board of elections in your state.

http://bern.usembassy.gov/mailing_options.html

gregv · #8 29.09.2008, 18:14

	Quote:
	Here is some information for mailing options for registration/ballots within Switzerland. If you live near Bern, you can drop your ballot off at the embassy - although it looks like it might take 2 weeks to get to the board of elections in your state. http://bern.usembassy.gov/mailing_options.html

I think that if you're mailing your ballot to Oregon, you have to have it arrive by election day at the latest. So be sure to verify local requirements.

#9 29.09.2008, 18:37

	Quote:	gregv
	I think that if you're mailing your ballot to Oregon, you have to have it arrive by election day at the latest. So be sure to verify local requirements.

Yep - in North Carolina, your ballot has to be there 5pm the day before election day. THe embassy estimates 10 days by diplomatic packet or whatever they call it, and then 3-5 days for mail within the US.

You should also verify who you can vote for. Because my husband and I no longer reside in NC (it was the last state we lived in), we can only vote for president, senator and house of representatives - also any national initiatives (there aren't any). I assume that if we still lived in NC and were here temporarily we could vote the whole ballot. I have heard but don't know for sure that they can invalidate your ballot if you vote for more than just federal offices.

Capacitrix · #10 29.09.2008, 19:14

	Quote:	dakman
	First question, I signed up 4 years ago and voted absentee also got an absentee ballot for the mid terms, does that mean the great state of New Jersey will send me a ballot this time around or do I need to re register?

	Quote:	gregv
	I'd say it's always a good idea to check with the elections commission for your local state and county. The county I vote in allows me to see if I am still registered. They should also send you a voter registration card. I'm set up for ongoing absentee voting.

	Quote:	dakman
	Thanks, will check but you come from the more enlightened area of the country where things like checking are easy. This is New Jersey, where I think Jimmy Hoffa still gets to vote.

I just requested an absentee ballot (Morris County / New Jersey) as I haven't received once since the last presidential election. Morris County clearly states

	Quote:
	You must apply for an Absentee Ballot for each Election, unless you designate otherwise under "OPTIONS."

Under "OPTIONS" it is possible to make the absentee ballot the default option. Whether or not the voter receives confirmation, I don't know.

I sent my request three weeks ago and haven't received a ballot yet. I actually used the FVAP form for NJ (link). And one of the links from the Morris County site to FVAP is broken. *sigh*

#11 29.09.2008, 22:00

	Quote:	Capacitrix
	I just requested an absentee ballot (Morris County / New Jersey) as I haven't received once since the last presidential election. Morris County clearly states Under "OPTIONS" it is possible to make the absentee ballot the default option. Whether or not the voter receives confirmation, I don't know. I sent my request three weeks ago and haven't received a ballot yet. I actually used the FVAP form for NJ (link). And one of the links from the Morris County site to FVAP is broken. sigh

If you don't get your ballot, you know you can vote on the FVAP ballot that should have printed out with your form - just send it in to the board of elections in Morris county.

We sent our requests in right around labor day (We were in the US at the time, though), and got our ballots about 2 weeks later - of course this was NC, not NJ. But if you've sent your request in, then you've met the deadline and you can still vote using that FVAP ballot.

Capacitrix · #12 30.09.2008, 21:05

	Quote:
	If you don't get your ballot, you know you can vote on the FVAP ballot that should have printed out with your form - just send it in to the board of elections in Morris county. We sent our requests in right around labor day (We were in the US at the time, though), and got our ballots about 2 weeks later - of course this was NC, not NJ. But if you've sent your request in, then you've met the deadline and you can still vote using that FVAP ballot.

Thanks. It actually came in the mail yesterday, but I hadn't seen it until today (husband brought the mail in).

meloncollie · #13 06.08.2016, 14:39

Bringing this old thread back up as a reminder...

If you are not yet registered to vote in the US elections, please do so. The Federal Voting Assistance Program site explains what you need to do to register in each state:

https://www.fvap.gov

Be sure check the deadline to register in your state.

And if you had previously registered, it probably is a good idea to check whether you still are or if you need to re-register. Your local board of elections should be able to clarify that for you.

OPILexpats · #14 07.08.2016, 09:05

www.votefromabroad.org is a great resource, but I recommend following up with the absentee voter office/rep in your US county a few weeks after you send in the form (typically the last county you lived in). In my case, the county never received the application I submitted from votefromabroad.org and I was easily able to apply for my absentee ballot within 48 hours through a couple of email exchanges and a short application directly from the county.

Please exercise your right to vote! Remember, it's a privilege not everyone in the world has. (And, IMHO, if you don't vote, you can't complain!!)

arrow · #15 05.10.2016, 15:51

	Quote:	meloncollie
	Bringing this old thread back up as a reminder... If you are not yet registered to vote in the US elections, please do so. The Federal Voting Assistance Program site explains what you need to do to register in each state: https://www.fvap.gov Be sure check the deadline to register in your state. And if you had previously registered, it probably is a good idea to check whether you still are or if you need to re-register. Your local board of elections should be able to clarify that for you.

Thanks MC for this info! However, I needed to contact Travis County in Texas. They were very helpful! Special form for Overseas Citizens:

http://www.traviscountyclerk.org/ecl...t.do?code=E.12

The deadline is VERY SOON! Check your state!
https://www.overseasvotefoundation.o...-deadlines.htm

#16 05.10.2016, 20:39

And lots of states will allow you to receive and send your ballot in by fax or email. In most cases you have to sign something, so scan and email generally works.

I firmly believe it's your responsibility to vote, but I'm not going to say you can't complain if you don't.

Wisconsinite · #17 06.10.2016, 00:18

So it is my first time doing this. Apparently, I need another US person as a witness to use the ballot. Can I go to the US consulate in Zurich and ask someone there to be the witness?

3Wishes · #18 06.10.2016, 19:53

	Quote:	Wisconsinite
	So it is my first time doing this. Apparently, I need another US person as a witness to use the ballot. Can I go to the US consulate in Zurich and ask someone there to be the witness?

Any U.S. citizen over the age of 18 will do. You can go to the consulate if you want, but when I went to the embassy in Bern they'd never heard of the witness issue and had to go hunt down an American that worked in the building because none of them at the window were citizens.

I've since met other Americans in Bern so that helps. For the address, if they don't currently have an address in the States, they fill in the last address they had in the U.S.

When you mail it back, you need to put the sealed and signed absentee ballot envelope into a bigger carrier envelope. On the outside, address to your municipal clerk and if possible include your ward number (will be on the envelope). Write in big block letters ABSENTEE BALLOT ENCLOSED. If you last lived in Milwaukee then you'd send to the Milwaukee Elections Commission, not the city.

This is for Wisconsin, BTW, other states may have different procedures. PM me if you have any questions.

3Wishes · #19 10.10.2016, 17:19

Just to add to the above - I saw an article on a WI news site that many absentee ballots are being returned with incomplete witness information.

Please be certain the full witness address is there - street name and number, city, state and zip. If you magically find a WI voter as a witness, be sure the municipality info is correct as well.

For example, many voters have a mailing address that says Madison but they live in the Town of Blooming Grove. If you were in WI the clerk might have time to contact you and get any errors fixed by the witness, but as you're overseas that would not be possible and your ballot might not count.

Wisconsinite · #20 10.10.2016, 18:40

Feels unnecessarily complicated but I will try my best to get this sorted out and get my vote in!

Thank you for the information!!