SOUTH FLORIDA – Caribbean-Americans living abroad number in the thousands. With elections being decided by microscopic margins, the importance of overseas votes has never been more obvious.
All Americans abroad retain the right to vote in US Federal elections no matter where they live in the world, how long they have been overseas, or when and where they last voted. This right was granted by Congress in 1975. Today, it is guaranteed and governed by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986 (UOCAVA), which was recently amended in 2009 by the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act. The only possible exception is children of US citizens who have never resided in the United States. In most cases, they may vote in the state where their American parent(s) last resided. Check with your local election official. The only state which explicitly prohibits these citizens from voting is Virginia.
Americans abroad must register and request a ballot from their local voting authority, wherever they last resided in the United States. The request must be received and accepted. The voting authority transmits a ballot overseas (by post or electronically). The voter must complete and mail it back.
The form used to register and request a ballot is known as the Federal Post Card Application, or FPCA. Each state provides its own explicit instructions on how this form needs to be completed in order to be valid. In the event a voter fails to receive a duly requested ballot, a backup is available: the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, or FWAB. Recent legislation (MOVE Act) requires overseas voters to file a new ballot request each year.
VoteFromAbroad.org is the easiest and most comprehensive online solution to the complexities of overseas voting. By answering a few simple questions, the voter immediately receives a completed FPCA ballot request – ready to be printed, signed and mailed to the address provided. VoteFromAbroad.org also immediately provides a FWAB write-in ballot, to be used in the event that the state ballot fails to arrive in time. VoteFromAbroad.org is a public service provided by Democrats Abroad in both English and Spanish for the use of all overseas voters, regardless of party affiliation.
To check the absentee ballot request deadline for your state, visit https://www.votefromabroad.org/news/state-state-registration-deadlines
