Overseas Voting: United States

The absentee ballot: how to register and make your vote from overseas in the US Federal election...

U.S. citizens living overseas are eligible to vote by absentee ballot in presidential, primary and general elections.

Ballots can be obtained by completing and returning a voter registration/absentee ballot request form to the voter's home-state elections office (the state in which the voter last resided prior to moving abroad). Voters who voted in the last election may not necessarily receive a ballot automatically and should register every election year to receive one.

Most states and the District of Columbia will send the absentee ballot by email, however the ballot must be returned via mail or delivery service.

The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) has information and voter registration/absentee ballot request forms available online for the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). They also provide a toll-free number for citizens outside of the US to call for information.

The Overseas Vote Foundation (a non-partisan, non-profit organization) website for U.S. voters residing abroad provides an online tool to generate a voter registration/ballot request form (customized to meet individual state regulations), state-specific election information such as deadlines and delivery options, contact information for all state and local election officials, links to non-partisan candidate information, a 24-hour help desk, and an online tool to generate an emergency ballot (FWAB).

Party Websites and Absentee Voter Assistance