A large field of Republican and Democratic presidential candidates and the prolonged Iraq War have generated new levels of interest in the upcoming US federal elections. For expat Americans, the question becomes how to vote without stepping up to the ballot box.
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (commonly referred to as UOCAVA) guarantees American citizens living abroad the right to vote. As the relevant administration falls under the Department of Defense (DOD), past outreach efforts have primarily been directed at military personnel. The DOD has the Federal Voting Assistance Program,
A nonpartisan nonprofit organization, the Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF) has created a user-friendly Web site (relaunching in early October) that provides a single form for registration, ballot requests and address changes. At www.overseasvotefoundation.org, there is an FAQ section answering dozens of commonly asked questions, a directory of election officials (voters mail back their registration to one of 6,425 local election offices countrywide), a guide for filling out the registration form, as well as a helpdesk. OVF recommends against emailing your completed form due to security concerns and identity theft. According to OVF President Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat. “There are just too many unknowns,” she says. Because you are providing personal information, such as a partial social security number (the last four digits) and a driver’s license, OVF recommends filling out the form and mailing it directly to your individual election office.
The three most common questions expat voters ask are:
1. Which state should I vote/register in and what address should I use? You should register and vote in the last place you lived in the United States, that is, your last domicile there. This may not be where you were born or raised, nor is it the address you stayed at for a month before moving to Germany. Register in the state where you last had a permanent address.
2. Am I registered? How do I find out? OVF recommends calling your election official directly. “Get them on the phone and ask,” says Dzieduszycka-Suinat. But remember, you won’t need to give out more personal information than your name, voting address, date of birth and the last four digits of your social security number.
3. Can I vote in the Presidential Preference Primary? Yes. However, you must complete the registration process in time. Deadlines vary by state, however it is strongly recommended that you send your ballot request in by 45 days before the election to allow for processing and mailing of your ballot.
The Presidential (General) Election is November 4, 2008. Your single registration request should get you ballots for all three major elections (the presidential preference primary, the state primary and the presidential election) for 2008. However, if you registered in 2004 or 2006, don’t assume you will automatically be sent ballots—you should probably file your form again as a ballot request against your active registration.
Note: The information included in this article applies to federal offices and elections. Voting in US federal elections is in no way connected to taxation. For state and local elections, voting may be used to establish residency and can be linked to taxation. Check the FAQs at www.fvap.gov.
Steps for voting made simple through Overseas Vote Foundation: 1) Complete the online form; 2) Print the form out and send it to your voting official. Time varies for mailing, so allow as much time as possible before the deadline. 3) Allow time for processing and then call to confirm your registration. Why? An OVF survey in 2006 found that about 40 percent of people received confirmation of their registration and about 60 percent did not. The only way they knew that their registration was successful—or not—was when they received their ballots—or didn’t. If all else fails, the Web site helpdesk of the Overseas Vote Foundation—a registered US public charity—can assist you.
Warning: Not all countries guarantee expats voting rights. Some rights change over time. Upcoming issues will feature election information from other English-speaking countries.
