How to vote in US presidential election

[jantango]

I am posting here important information for those who vote in states requiring mail-in ballots for the general election. This letter from Democrats Abroad recommends we contact the governor to ask for other options so that our ballots are delivered to county clerks and counted. I wrote the county clerk where I vote in Illinois on this problem, but haven't had a response. Now, I will write the governor of Illinois. There is time for those states with the mail-in requirement to make a change so that citizens living abroad can vote. Neither the Embassy pouch or the United States Postal Service are reliable means for returning ballots for the general election in November.

Dear Janis,

With the general elections coming soon, Democrats Abroad is working hard to make sure that your ballot can be returned safely, securely and on time.

As part of that work, we are asking US states that require their ballots to be returned by postal mail to switch to email, web portal or a fax solution for ballot return.

This is important as postal mail delivery to the US is very slow, or not possible at the moment (Over 70 countries have suspended their international postal service altogether).

As a voter in a Democratically led state which requires postal mail ballot return options, we are asking you to reach out to your governor and share your concern. Here is the list of states we are reaching out to: CT, IL, KY, MI, MN, NJ, NY, PA, VA, WI.

Email or call your governor's office, and let them know how you will be impacted by their postal mail requirement. Here is a script with more details.

If you’d like to make your call with other concerned voters, consider joining our next Voter Protection call on July 30th, at 12pm Eastern. Details here.

Thank you for all that you do! Keep safe and keep us posted.

Interested in volunteering with the DA Voter Protection team? Email [email protected] adding volunteer in the subject.

Many thanks and best,

Maya
Maya Buchanan
Chair, Voter Protection
Democrats Abroad
www.democratsabroad.org

 

[elhombresinnombre]

I am posting here important information for those who vote in states requiring mail-in ballots for the general election. This letter from Democrats Abroad ( Snipped for brevity. ) recommends we contact the governor to ask for other options so that our ballots are delivered to county clerks and counted. I wrote the county clerk where I vote in Illinois on this problem, but haven't had a response. Now, I will write the governor of Illinois. There is time for those states with the mail-in requirement to make a change so that citizens living abroad can vote. Neither the Embassy pouch or the United States Postal Service are reliable means for returning ballots for the general election in November.

As a Brit who always votes in UK elections and has a proxy for when I can't be there in person I probably don't understand the complexity of voting in the USA. In my district or "constituency" the vote is weighed rather than counted and an individual vote counts for very little - whichever side you support. Somewhere else in our FPTP system it can come down to a majority of two or three so an individual vote can be priceless.

I think what I am saying to voters of any political persuasion or none is: how much is your vote worth where you vote and how much is it worth to you? If your answers are "a lot" and "a lot" I would be doing all I could to vote from abroad whilst also instigating a backup flight plan. Anything less than "a lot" plus "a lot" then I would have to balance my emotional response with a healthy dose of pragmatism.

 

[jantango]

Dear Janis --

The November 3rd General Election is only 76 days away! It’s finally time to VOTE for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and to jettison the Trump Administration and its enablers. Now we can vote for every Democrat on the ballot--and for Decency, Empathy, and the Rule of Law!

The Republicans are working to slow down the mail. Their efforts, combined with the international mail disruptions due to COVID and the anticipated massive increase in voting by mail within the US, are creating a ‘perfect storm’ for overseas voters like you who must return their ballots by postal mail.

Official state ballots won’t be sent out until September 19th. Right now, we don’t know whether ballots sent by international mail will reach US election offices by the November deadlines. But we do know that the postal infrastructure will be stretched to the breaking point. Currently many countries are reporting delays of up to two months for international mail to reach the US.

Protect Your Vote! Mail in Your Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot NOW

But there’s a solution! The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) is an emergency backup specifically for overseas voters who are concerned their official state ballot may not arrive in time to send in by the deadline. And you can mail it in TODAY!

There’s no downside to using the FWAB. When you receive your official state ballot, you mail that in as well. If both arrive in time, the FWAB will be discarded and only your official state ballot will be counted. But, if your official state ballot is delayed and misses the deadline, your FWAB will be counted as your VOTE.

For detailed information how to fill out and submit a FWAB, go to: www.votefromabroad.org/fwab

Please remember:

1. To be eligible to use the FWAB, you must send in your Ballot Request form (the Federal Post Card Application, or FPCA) this year--that is, after January 1, 2020.
   
   To fill out and submit your ballot request form, go to www.votefromabroad.org
   
   *Follow the prompts to fill out the form, and then send it in according to the instructions. Most states let you send in the ballot request form by email.
   
   If you’ve already sent in your FPCA ballot request form this year, CLICK HERE to let us know you don't need a reminder.
   
   
   
2. After you’ve sent in your ballot request form for 2020, fill out and mail in your FWAB.
   
   For detailed instructions how to fill out and mail in a FWAB, go to: www.votefromabroad.org/fwab
   
   If you’ve already sent in a FWAB for the November election, CLICK HERE to let us know you don't need a reminder.
   
   
   
3. Mark your calendar to look for your official state ballot to arrive on September 19th (be sure to check your spam folder and any secondary inboxes).
   
   Fill out your official state ballot and mail it back right away. Every day counts!

Questions? Email us at [email protected]. We can help you complete the FWAB and t understand the mailing options in your country.

Know any other US voters? Please share this information with them, and be sure they vote. Let’s turn the Blue Wave into a Blue Tsunami!!

Democratically yours,
Heidi Burch
Co-Chair, Democrats Abroad GOTV Team



*Note: When you fill in your ballot request form, be aware that selecting “I intend to return” rather than “my intent to return is uncertain” may contribute towards establishing yourself as a tax resident in your voting state. Because the legal requirements to establish "residence" or "domicile" for tax purposes are determined by state law and he specific facts of your life, before you note that you intend to return on your form you may consider seeking advice on these matters from your tax professional.

DA Voter Information Team
http://www.democratsabroad.org/

 

[demokritos]

I had been planning to vote by diplomatic pouch. I had called the embassy and there is only a message saying the embassy is closed due to mandatory quarantine restrictions; however, I went by there today and was able to drop off my ballot. They asked for a passport/ID.

I used votefromabroad.org as suggested by democrats abroad, as the FVAP website required me to print and mail my FPCA ballot request, while votefromabroad was able to email it for me using a digital signature.

 

[jblaze5779]

I got my ballot in my email yesterday. I requested it from vote from abroad. So now that I have it, how the hell do I mail it in? Is there any mail going to from AR to the US?

 

[sts7049]

DHL is probably your only option from NQN

 

[demokritos]

I got my ballot in my email yesterday. I requested it from vote from abroad. So now that I have it, how the hell do I mail it in? Is there any mail going to from AR to the US?

If you're in Buenos Aires, the US embassy recommends that you drop your ballot if you want to mail it by diplomatic pouch by October 13th (today). I believe they are open until 5pm.

Otherwise, DHL/Fedex, it will cost you. I think I saw something about democrats abroad negotiating a discount, though.

 

[jblaze5779]

If you're in Buenos Aires, the US embassy recommends that you drop your ballot if you want to mail it by diplomatic pouch by October 13th (today). I believe they are open until 5pm.

Otherwise, DHL/Fedex, it will cost you. I think I saw something about democrats abroad negotiating a discount, though.

Well I'm fucked then as I'm in the interior. We're banned from driving for the next two weeks also. The odds are against us.

 

[Ries]

The procedure varies from State to State in the USA. For instance, in my state, Washington, if you are abroad, you can request a ballot by email, and email it back in.
Many States intentionally make it difficult.

In some States, your only option will be, if you want to be SURE, to pay for some sort of private delivery (Fed-ex, DHL). And I am sure there are some states that will probably have some rule to refuse those.

 

[Rich One]

News are that 10 MM people already voted? and Biden is ahead by xx % Can we make something out of this , or just fake news..?