Overseas Americans can register to vote and submit a ballot from anywhere in the world! It’s easy – but act fast to be sure that your vote is counted.
Start by confirming your voter registration with your state. Some states require absentee voters to register annually so you may need to re-register. Go to the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) to connect to your state’s voter portal to register to vote, request a ballot, and more. Once you confirm your registration, follow a few simple steps to vote in the 2022 US elections.
- Register/Request your ballot.
- Receive and complete your ballot.
- Return your completed, signed ballot.
Voting from overseas is a little like taking a test in school – you have to follow all the instructions to ensure that your ballot will be counted, as well as completing and returning your voted ballot as fast as you can.
This article sounds a lot like one we published in 2020 for a good reason; the advice is still sound! Questions? Contact FAWCO’s US Voting Committee ().
1. Register/Request your ballot.
Most states provide the option to request ballots through their state election portals, which you can easily access via FVAP. You can also choose to complete a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). Completing an FPCA allows you to request absentee ballots for all elections for federal offices (US Senate and US House of Representatives in 2022) including primaries and special elections during the calendar year in which it is submitted. You can also vote for state and local offices if you fill out the FPCA in a particular way.
Any local election official, in any US state and territory, will accept an FPCA that is (a) correctly filled out and (b) includes the voter’s signature and date. FVAP’s easy online assistant can help you complete your FPCA.
Whether you request your ballot through your state’s portal or by FPCA, please select the option for receiving your ballot electronically (by email, Internet download, or fax) if your state permits that. This is the fastest way for you to get your ballot and to ensure you can complete and return it before your state’s deadline.
2. Receive and complete your ballot.
States are required to send out ballots 45 days before a regular election for federal office and states generally send out ballots at least 30 days before primary elections. Most states allow you to confirm your ballot delivery online; FVAP provides links to many state elections sites.
As soon as it arrives, fill out your ballot right away, carefully following the instructions.
If your ballot does not arrive by 8 October 2022, get a Federal Write-in Ballot (FWAB) from FVAP, and fill it out right away, carefully following the instructions. If your regular ballot arrives after you have sent in a FWAB, vote and return it, too – your local election official will figure out which one to count.
3. Return your completed, signed ballot.
To be counted, your ballot must reach your local election official before the deadline set for your state. Some states allow you to return your completed ballot electronically. If your state requires you to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials by mail, you can do that through international mail, professional courier service or sometimes your consulate or embassy’s diplomatic pouch.
(The diplomatic pouch provides free mail service from embassies and consulates to a US sorting facility. You will need to place your ballots in postage paid return envelopes or in envelopes bearing sufficient US postage, in order for them to be delivered to the proper local election authorities. Please note that mail sent by an embassy or consulate via diplomatic pouch can take up to three weeks to reach its destination. All overseas US citizens are advised to submit their forms and ballots accordingly.)
Researching the candidates and issues: online resources
Thanks to the Internet, researching candidates and issues is easy.
The FVAP links page offers helpful resources to aid your research of candidates and issues.
Nonpartisan information about candidates, their voting records and their positions on issues is widely available and easy to obtain online – from the League of Women Voters, for example. You can also read national and hometown newspapers online, or search the Internet to locate articles and information.
FAWCO also regularly offers information, support and advice through the US Voting Committee () and here on its website.