Message for American Citizens: Final Reminder to Vote!:
American Citizens should vote now in the November 4, 2008 presidential and general elections. If you registered to vote and requested an absentee ballot by your state's deadline, you should have already received your state absentee ballot. Please return your marked ballot now! [Read More]
All American citizens are reminded that 2008 is an election year in the United States. Every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and one-third of the seats in the U.S. Senate are being contested this year. Overseas citizens are eligible to participate in primary, run-off, and special elections that occur throughout the year, as well as the general elections in November.
Under U.S. law, qualified American citizens residing abroad may register and vote by absentee ballot in their state of last residence. The designated Voting Officer at any consular section can provide information on the registration and voting process and will help you in complying with your home state's laws. U.S. citizens cannot vote at the U.S. Embassy and Consulates General. The electoral process is administered by each individual state and you vote by mailing an absentee ballot to your home state.
For official information on voting from abroad, you may also consult the "Department of Defense Voting Assistance Guide" available from the voting officer at the nearest Consular Section. It contains instructions on completing federal forms, gives suggestions on how to determine the state in which you should vote and summarizes state regulations on how to register and how to request ballots.
State voting laws differ with respect to registration and obtaining ballots. Acceptance or denial of voting applications is determined by state officials. Depending on your state, you may register permanently, register temporarily or apply for an absentee ballot by waiving registration. You may do any of these with a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), available from the voting officer at the consular section nearest you.
The FPCA can be mailed postage-free by the consular section. However, international mail is often faster and should be used at your expense, particularly if you are mailing material shortly before your state's filing or election deadline.
If you make a timely application for an absentee ballot for a general federal election but do not receive it in time, you may also use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) which can be obtained at the consular section nearest you. You must provide proof that you have already applied for an absentee ballot before you are eligible to use the FWAB. It is valid only for federal elections. The FWAB can be mailed by the same methods as the FPCA but must show a return address from abroad. The FVAB website provides voting related information and resources.
Consular Voting Officers post notices of upcoming elections, notarize ballot materials when required, and perform similar voting-related duties. Please note, however, that voting officers do not provide information on candidates and issues. It is the voter's responsibility to keep informed on such matters.
In the past, a U.S. federal statute provided that voting in a foreign election was an "expatriating act" that resulted in loss of U.S. citizenship. In the decision of Afroyim vs. Rusk (1967), however, the U.S. Supreme Court held that expatriation by voting in a foreign election is unconstitutional and also laid down the rule that a U.S. citizen has a constitutional right to remain a citizen unless he or she voluntarily relinquishes that citizenship by intentionally performing an expatriating act.
- Federal Voting Assistance Program telephone hotline for callers from Canada: 1-800-438-8683
- Democrats Abroad Canada
Phone (416) 916-2022 or (877) 336-2008.
E-mail: demcan@sympatico.ca - Republicans Abroad Canada
Phone (416) 595-8636
E-mail: info@republicansabroad.ca
