The 2010 U.S. general elections are less than 50 days away!!

REGISTERING AND REQUESTING BALLOTS:
Overseas voters are eligible to submit voter registrations and absentee ballot requests up to their state’s registration/ballot request deadline.  Check the state-by-state requirements to determine whether the state requires that the FPCA be mailed, or allows voters to send it in by fax or email.  Most states that allow faxing or emailing also require voters to send in the hard copy of the FPCA by mail by election day or the FPCA will be voided.   Most states have an on-line voter registration verification website.  See the on-line Voting Assistance Guide for details.


ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF BLANK ABSENTEE BALLOTS:
Under the 2009 MOVE Act, states are required to make blank ballots available electronically.  Ballots can be posted to a State website, or they may be faxed or emailed to overseas voters.  To be eligible to get their ballots electronically, voters should have completed a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) this year, and indicated in Block 4c their preference for email, fax, or mail (depending on what their State allows).  If your voters have not yet done so, they are still eligible to submit a new FPCA with a request for electronic delivery of their blank ballot.


MAIL DELIVERY OF BLANK BALLOTS:
The MOVE Act requires States to mail out blank ballots to overseas absentee voters 45 days before election day, unless granted an emergency waiver.  Previously, most States mail out ballots 30 days before the general election.  In spite of the new mandate, overseas voters in many of countries may still not receive their ballots early enough to vote and return them because of slow mail transit times to/from your country.  You should be aware of mail transit times and alert to domestic delays that may delay ballot delivery.


RETURN OF VOTED BALLOTS:
Some states will allow voters to return voted ballots electronically, but most still require voters to send in their voted ballot by mail.  Be aware of mail transit time to Hometown, USA, and encourage voters to return voted ballots in sufficient time to comply with ballot receipt deadlines.


USE OF FEDERAL WRITE-IN ABSENTEE BALLOT (FWAB):
Every voter who has not received his/her absentee ballot by October 2, 2010 should complete and mail in a FWAB.   Voters who subsequently receive their blank absentee ballot from their local election officials should vote and submit their absentee ballot as well.  Submitting both ballots will not invalidate their vote.  Local election officials will only count the FWAB if the full absentee ballot is not received by the ballot receipt deadline.  (insert the declaration and write-in ballot into the security envelope, which then sealed and placed inside the larger envelope addressed to local election officials) 

NOTE:  To be eligible to use the FWAB, voters must have submitted an FPCA sufficiently early so that local election officials receive it 30 days in advance of the election, or by the State’s registration deadline.  A select few states allow voters to use the FWAB as a simultaneous registration/request for absentee ballot/absentee ballot.  You should consult the State-specific instructions in the Voting Assistance Guide (VAG) at www.fvap.gov  to determine procedures for the State in question.


Q:  What options do voters have for sending the FWAB to the United States?
A:  All voting materials, including FPCAs, state ballots, and FWABs, can be sent to the United States by APO/FPO or diplomatic pouch.  Ballots received at posts with APO/DPO facilities within 7 days of the election can use Prepaid Expedited Mail- Label 11-DOD. This label is available at APO/FPO locations and can only be used for the general election. It provides expedited mail service up to seven days prior to the election.  Voters who use the expedited label can return their ballots via any MPO/FPO, American embassy or consulate.  A portion of label is retained by the voter for tracking the ballot through the U.S. Postal Service.  Ballots sent by diplomatic pouch should be date-stamped and marked with post’s wet seal as evidence that the ballot was mailed from an overseas location.  FedEx is offering discounted shipping for last-minute voters in 89 countries through the Express Your Vote program https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/overseas/ExpressYourVote.htm.

Note:  Be aware of your pouch transit time to Washington, and advise potential users to add additional time for transfer to the USPS and onward delivery to Hometown, USA.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q:  Can voters e-mail or fax their voted ballot to the U.S.?
A:  Many states allow the electronic transmission of voted ballots.  Electronic transmission instructions are available on page 2 of your VAG.  Please review State-specific instructions for electronic transmission of voted ballots options at http://www.fvap.gov/FWAB/index.html.  Post may fax ballots on behalf of voters if post resources allow.  See the back inside cover of the Voting Assistance Guide for toll-free fax numbers from a number of overseas countries.  Voters faxing their ballots to the Federal Voting Assistance Program for onward transmission to local election officials must use the Electronic Transmission Cover Sheet at http://www.fvap.gov/leo/fax-email-guidelines.html.  A cover sheet is required for each ballot you fax.


Q:  What if the voter is using the online PDF version of the FWAB?  How do they mail it in?
A:  Voters using the PDF version of the FPCA and FWAB should print out the return envelope template available at http://www.fvap.gov/resources/media/returnenvelope.pdf.  As a courtesy, we recommend that posts print the return envelope template directly onto blank envelopes for voters who need them.  Please note that the US Postal Service does not want the template taped to the outside of an envelope as it jams up their sorting machines.


Q: What if a voter uses the FWAB and then receives his/her regular state ballot?
A:  Voters who receive their regular state ballot after voting the FWAB should still mark the state ballot and return it.  If the regular state ballot arrives in time, the local election officials will count it rather than the FWAB.


Q:  Are absentee votes really counted?
A:  All absentee votes that arrive by the state’s deadline are counted for the official record.  Many states have deadlines after November 4 (for instance, New York requires that ballots be postmarked by November 3, but may arrive as late as November 17).  In that case, election results may already have been announced, but the vote will be counted for the record.


Q: What states require notarization of the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA) and FWAB?
A: Effective this year, no state has notarization requirements.