Voting While Abroad

If your program happens to be during election times, whether presidential or local, you won't be able to vote at your normal polling place.  Instead ...you're gonna have to vote absentee.

Absentee ballots are a great way to stay involved at home even while you're away, and they aren't too hard to set up. Take a try at these steps to set up your absentee ballot:

1. Visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program
2. Click on your state.
3. Check the submission deadlines – every state is different!
4. DOWNLOAD the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), PRINT it and SIGN it. Mail the completed form back to your state's election office.
5. 45 days before November general elections (only 30 days before a primary, special and run-off elections), your state will send it to your address abroad.
6. Fill out your ballot. (Make sure it is legible so they know who you are voting for.)
7. Return it (via mail) to your state's election office before the deadline so your vote will count.

If you still have questions, visit the U.S. State Department website for Absentee Voting information for U.S. citizens abroad.