I'd like to have a nickel for every time I've been told, “You don't live in this country (America), so your opinion doesn't matter”. Or, “You don't even live in America, so what do you care about politics here?”
In my 65-years as an American citizen, I've never seen a politically chaotic year like 2020.
I've said for decades that Americans are among the most politically apathetic and ignorant people on earth. This election cycle seems to vindicate my opinion, even while I wait for someone to prove me wrong.
Something tells me I'm in for a long wait. In the meantime, here's how you can avoid the chaos and vote even if you are an expat.
While most countries have policies and procedures in place to accommodate absentee ballots, there isn't enough space to fully explain them all. I'll focus on America.
Voting residence
To vote by absentee ballot, you must have a voting residence. A voting residence is needed to determine the offices and candidates you can vote. Without this, you may not get the right ballot(s) for your precinct.
To put it simply, your voting residence is the address in the state where you last lived, just before you left America.
The residence remains good and valid, even:
- If you no longer own property or have other links, or ties, to the state,
- If your intent to return to that state is not certain, and
- If your prior address is not recognized any longer as a residential address
If you can't remember the address where you last lived, old tax records, passports or letters from home can help. Election offices may be helpful in identifying the address — assuming you were registered.
A Voting Residence fact sheet can be downloaded here.
Can the embassy help?
If your home state requires you to return paper voting ballots to local election officials by mail, you may do so through international mail or a professional courier service. As an expat, determining your “home state” can be a challenge. An accountant, or attorney, specializing in the unique obstacles facing American expats should be consulted. A spot to visit online for very basic and preliminary information is Form8621.
Most U.S. Embassies can help as well. Each American embassy has a diplomatic pouch which provides free mail service from embassies and consulates to an American sorting facility.
First, place your ballot(s) in postage-paid return envelopes and then drop off your completed ballots at the local American Embassy. It may take up to four weeks for mail to reach its destination if sent via diplomatic pouch, so all overseas American citizens are encouraged to submit their ballots with that time frame in mind.
NationsOnline.org has an exhaustive list of American Embassies, Missions and Consulates on their website.
U.S. citizens can receive an absentee ballot by email, fax, or internet download, depending on the state they are eligible to vote in. The FPCA, Federal Post Card Application, site shows how U.S. Citizens living abroad can vote in 2020.
Step one
Fill out the form.
Step two
Watch a brief tutorial about how to vote absentee.
Step three
See what your home state's requirements are.
