US Citizens can vote from abroad

I strongly feel that voting is a responsibility and a right for every eligible person. If you are a U.S. citizen, you must register as a citizen abroad even if you are already registered to vote. Absentee ballots for overseas voters have different rules and procedures than regular absentee ballots. The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) requires that US citizens living abroad register every year and request a ballot in order to vote. By law the state must send each registered overseas voter a ballot 45 days before each election. This is 20 September 2024. Some states waive the yearly registration rule, and send the ballot automatically. If you don't receive your ballot, call your local election official right away.

All registered overseas voters are allowed to vote in Federal elections and some states allow them to vote in state and local elections as well. Each state, and some local counties, have their own rules so it is important to know the rules for the state where you will be voting. All states must offer the voter application and ballot be delivered electronically (strongly recommended) by fax or by mail. Most states allow the form to be returned electronically or by fax but some require return by mail. These include: AR, CT, GA, IA, ID, IL, KY, MD, MI, MN, MO, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WY.

There are several Websites where you can register as an overseas voter. The federal government site is Federal Voting Assistance Program https://ftap.gov . I recommend using the Vote From Abroad.org https://www.votefromabroad.org site because they have an easier step-by-step interface and offer on-line help.

1. First you need to verify that you are still registered to vote. States purge their voter rolls for a variety of reasons so check first to be sure you are still registered.

2. Request a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) from your local election official.

3. You will need to provide the following information:

- Full name, US voting address and ZIP code.

- Your current, non-US address.

- Your social security number (some state only request the last 4 digets)

- Possibly your state ID (if you have one)

- Political party or unaffiliated.

Complete, verify the information and return the form to your local election official.

Confirm that the form has been received. You should receive conformation that the form has been received and approved within a week. If not, contact your local election official. If there are problems, use the VoteFromAbroad Website to help you resolve them.

Sorry I haven't been on this Forum for a very long time so I had to start as new and can't post links.
Flamingo Gulch

In Australia, voting is considered not just a right, but a citizen obligation- it's illegal not to vote there. There are exemptions people can apply for, but they have to be legitimate reasons, not just that you don't want to, or don't support any of the candidates.

If you are registered in Texas, and you checked the box "uncertain" if you will return to Texas, then you cannot vote in state or local elections. You can only vote at the federal level. Texas has purged over 1,000,000 voters this year. My brother was kicked off voter registration because he did not vote in 2022 despite the fact that he has voted in every election since 1968 every two years. Welcome to Texas.

I wonder if they check a person's political affiliation when deciding which voters to purge.

Probly.

In Texas, likely. Some other red states have been doing it, too.

By law you should be receiving your electronic ballot today. If you have not, call your local election official, usually the county clerk.

If necessary use one of the links above to re-register.

No ballots here from Texas.  No surprise either.

If you don't receive a ballot, I would contact the Federal Elections Assistance Commission in addition to your county clerk. If some of these red states are conveniently not sending ballots, possibly to anyone they don't think will vote Republican, this should be documented. 


https://www.eac.gov/contactuseac

Received Texas ballot today... Great service...

Got one this morning Saturday and waiting on a second for the wife now. Vote early and often.

Received Texas ballot yesterday. Still have to figure out what goes in what envelope because heaven forbid something is folded incorrectly.