Voting Information for the 2008 Primary and General Elections

April 2008

This is a reminder for all American citizens age 18 years or older, that you may continue to register to vote by absentee ballot for the U.S. presidential election held on November 4, 2008. Overseas registrations are accepted by most state officials up to 30-45 days prior to the general election. When applicable, you may also register to vote in the upcoming primaries scheduled from March through early October.

Generally, U.S. citizens who are or will be residing outside the United States during an election period are eligible to vote by absentee ballot in any election for Federal office.  This includes primary, run-off, and special elections that occur throughout the year, as well as the general election in November 2008.  Some states allow overseas voters to vote in elections for state and local offices, and for state and local referenda.

Eligibility

Voting eligibility and residency requirements are determined by the various U.S. states, and are available on-line at http://fvap.gov/pubs/vag.html.  Your "legal state of residence" for voting purposes is the state where you last resided immediately prior to departure from the United States.  Voting rights extend to overseas citizens even though they may no longer own property or have other ties to their last state of residence, and even if their intent to return to that state may be uncertain.  For those who have never resided in the U.S., sixteen states, to date, allow eligible U.S. citizens to register where a parent would be eligible to vote.

Information and Forms

In order to obtain information and assistance concerning absentee voting from overseas, you may refer to the official U.S. Government website of the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) http://fvap.gov. This website has a wealth of information about absentee voting, including state-specific instructions for completing the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), links to state and local officials, and a downloadable emergency ballot for use by those who register in time but fail to receive an official ballot. You may also consult the FVAP resources including Frequently Asked Questions and Toll Free Telephone Numbers available overseas.

To register to vote and/or apply for an absentee ballot, you can use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA: standard printed and online forms). Some states may require that your signature on the FPCA be notarized by a notary public; for this information, you must refer to the state-specific instructions. Information on notarial services is provided below. 

The on-line version of this form, the OFPCA, is accepted by all states and territories except American Samoa and Guam.  Voters from American Samoa and Guam must use the standard form of the FPCA, available at the Embassy.  The on-line OFPCA form must be completed legibly, printed, signed, dated, and mailed to your local election officials.  Your state may allow faxing to speed the process, but you will still need to send in the original by mail.  The best way to ensure that your FPCA and ballot reach local election officials on time is to use a commercial courier service (DHL, FedEx, etc.).  The U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott can also mail your FPCA and your completed ballot, but please be aware that it will take several weeks to reach local election officials.  The U.S. Embassy cannot be used as a mailing address to receive ballots from the United States. 

As a general rule, you should try to send in the FPCA so that it reaches your local election officials at least forty-five days before the first election in which you are eligible to vote – ample time for them to process the request and send you a blank ballot.  If applying for both registration and an absentee ballot, you may want to mail the FPCA earlier.  One FPCA will qualify you to receive all ballots for Federal offices for the next two regular Federal elections (through 2010).  We recommend, however, that you submit a new FPCA in January of every year, and whenever you move, to ensure that your most recent mailing and e-mail addresses are on file with your local election officials.

Under normal circumstances, most states and territories begin sending ballots to overseas citizens 30-45 days before an election.  If you haven’t received your ballot within three weeks of your state’s ballot receipt deadline, however, and you are required to return your voted ballot by mail, you should download, complete, sign, date, and send in a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB), available at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefwab.html. Make sure it is witnessed if required by your state.

If you subsequently receive your regular absentee ballot, execute it and return it regardless of when you receive it.  Court decisions sometimes require late counting of ballots voted by Election Day, but received by local election officials for a specified period of time following Election Day.

In order to respond to all your questions concerning the voting process, the Consular Sections of U.S. Embassies worldwide are also available to assist you. You may contact consular staff by e-mail, phone and fax or mail (see contact information below).

Be an Educated Voter

Non-partisan information about candidates, their voting records, and their positions on issues is widely available and easy to obtain via the Internet.  Use the links appearing on the FVAP website at http://www.fvap.gov/links/otherlinks.html, read your hometown newspaper on-line, or search the Internet to locate articles and information.
The Voting Assistance Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott is available to answer questions about absentee voting. To contact the Voting Assistance Officer and/or request a Federal Post Card Application, send an e-mail to consularNKC@state.gov or call 525-2660 ext. 4527.

Some states require that your signature be notarized on the Federal Post Card Application. Please see information concerning notarial services provided by the Consular Section in Nouakchott. No fee will be charged for notarial services required by the Federal Government for voting purposes.