| Contents: |
| Register to Vote |
| Overseas Voting |
| FAQs |
| Myths |
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Links: |
| Democrats Abroad |
| Republicans Abroad |
Voting 2008 |
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As a US citizen, you are entitled to vote in the 2008 elections. Be sure you are registered to vote either in your State as a mail-in voter, or by using the FPCA which allows you to vote in the National rather than State elections. The Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) and a copy of the U.S. Government's voting assistance guide, which provides instructions for completing the form, can be found at www.fvap.gov . If you do not have access to the Internet, you can send a written request to: American Consulate General, Voting Unit, 3 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BW 2LQ. Please provide your name, full U.K. mailing address, your current or last state of residence in the United States, and the number of application forms you require. For more details, please click on overseas voting. Scheduled Primaries: With the focus now squarely on the 2008 Presidential elections, primary season is heating up.
The conventions: SEPTEMBER 2008 Citizens may reach the federal voting ombudsman for help with absentee voting problems and issues. If dialing from the UK, call the toll-free number: 0800-169-8035. (Information provided by the U.S. Consulate, Scotland e-newsletter.) |
Overseas 
VOTING in the United States
For Next year: If you have changed your address since the last time you voted, you must send in an FPCA (Federal Post Card Application) with the new address or contact your local election official directly. For a useful directory of local officials, go to the Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF) website at: http://www.ovf-eod.org
When completing the FPCA, indicate your NEW ADDRESS and your OLD ADDRESS. Submitting the FPCA will register or confirm your registration and acts as a request for absentee ballots for any elections to be held that year.
If writing to your local election official directly, give your name, date of birth, and both new and old addresses as well as a voter registration number or Social Security Number and any further information that can help the local election official properly identify you.
Up-to-date information about candidates may be found on the FAWCO website at www.fawco.org.
Voting From Overseas Has Just Become Easier!
The Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas Inc. (FAWCO), www.fawco.org, has formed an alliance with the Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF), www.overseasvotefoundation.org, in furtherance of its efforts to encourage nonpartisan overseas voter registration. The OVF was founded in 2005 to assist uniformed and overseas American citizens in registering to vote in federal elections, starting in 2006 with the State Primaries and 7 November General Election. OVF is the first and only nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) public charity organization dedicated solely to serving the voter registration needs of all military and overseas citizen (UOCAVA) absentee voters.
OVF’s user-friendly RAVA voter registration wizard revolutionizes overseas voter registration. Use this quick, easy, accurate wizard to register to vote absentee (www.ovf-rava.org).
1. Am I registered to vote?
To check the status of your voter registration, contact your State or Local Election Office. the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website (www.fvap.gov) has a listing of all the State Election Offices’ websites, where you’ll also find a great deal of election information.
Seven states, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia, allow you to check your voter registration status online. For more specific information on registering in these states, go to: www.fvap.gov/vao/stregissites.html.
2. Where am I registered to vote?
You should be registered where you last resided in the US. If you are unsure of the county, visit www.fvap.gov and select What is my county.
3. What do I do if I sent my FPCA on time but haven’t received my ballot?
Contact your Local Election Official. To find out when your state mails out ballots, check the current Voting Assistance Guide (VAG) at www.fvap.gov (select State by State Instructions). If time is short, use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) to vote (see below).
4. Do I need a notary on my FPCA?
Only 5 states or territories require your FPCA to be notarized: American Samoa, Michigan (civilians only), Minnesota, Puerto Rico, and Vermont.
5. What’s the difference between the FPCA and the FWAB?
The FPCA should be filled out and sent to your local election official each election year and whenever you change addresses, to ensure that you receive your ballot with adequate time to vote through the mail. Postage is paid within the US or through US Embassies and Consulates. If mailed in a foreign postal system, international airmail postage must be paid. Some states allow electronic transmission (fax and/or e-mail) of the FPCA, consult the VAG for state or territory specific procedures.
The FWAB is used as a back-up emergency ballot if the regular state ballot does not reach a voter in adequate time for voting. It contains both a write-in area and a special security envelope, and the same postage conditions apply as for the FPCA. A FWAB can be obtained from the AWC’s Voting Coordinator or the US Consulate in Edinburgh, or on-line at www.fvap.gov. To use the FWAB, you must: 1) be located outside the US; 2) have applied for a ballot early enough so the request is received by the appropriate local election official not later than the state deadline; 3) have not received the requested absentee ballot from the state.
1. I can’t vote. I don’t have a US address anymore.
Regardless of how long you have lived outside the US, you always retain the right to vote in US Federal elections. Your legal voting address is the last place you resided prior to leaving the US. If you have never lived in the US, many states will allow you to vote using the legal voting address of one of your American parents. Check your state in the Voting Assistance Guide (VAG).
2. I don’t need to register. I already did it last time.
Voters living abroad should mail in a ballot request every election year. A recent Federal law states that a single ballot request should be valid for 4 years and some states, like California, permit permanent absentee registration. But there are 3000 different local authorities, each with its own understanding of the law, so better safe than sorry,send a new ballot request each election year!
3. They don’t count overseas ballots.
Absolutely 100% false! By law every properly executed absentee ballot must be counted before a final vote count can be certified. However, if the number of outstanding ballots, overseas or otherwise, is smaller than the difference between two candidates, a winner may be called before every last vote has been tallied. But all outstanding ballots are counted before the election result is certified.
4. One vote can’t make a difference.
In Florida in 2000, George W. Bush won the state by a margin of 537 votes. Al Gore took New Mexico by just 366 votes.
5. If I vote, the IRS will hassle me.
Voting in US Federal elections does not affect the determination of tax residence. You will not hear from the IRS because you voted in a Federal election. Voting in state and local elections, however, can potentially subject you to state and local taxes.
If you have queries about voting, contact:
Dale Finlayson vote@awccs.org or
© 2008 American Women's Club of Central Scotland
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