Though the General Election is still a month away, it’s time for U.S. overseas voters to start returning their absentee ballots to ensure they arrive by state deadlines.
For those who requested absentee ballots sent, all states have sent ballots to those registered and who requested those ballots. If you have not received yours and are registered, call or email your election commission to ask again.
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To return ballots, the following states allow ballots to be faxed: Alaska (request a ballot by email first), Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska (contact for permission), Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, West Virginia. Check with your local election office to find out if a paper ballot is necessary to send to validate as well. If so, send the paper ballot only.
Some states allow ballots to be scanned and emailed back. They are: Arizona, Colorado (through ballotreturn.sos.colorado.gov only), Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, West Virginia.
Check with your local election office to determine if a paper ballot is required as back-up and, if so, send only the paper ballot. If a paper ballot is not required, ask if they have a secure email address for sending your ballot, and if you need to send a proof of identification as well.
If your state is not mentioned above, paper ballots are required.
If you are too late to receive a state ballot, a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) is available at our volunteer tables or can be downloaded from VoteFromAbroad.org or fvap.gov. This ballot allows you to vote for Senators and Representatives only for this election. The same modes of delivery apply to these FWAB ballots.
For further information regarding your state requirements, ask the volunteers on October 10 or contact your local election commission. You can also get answers at iwillvote.com.
