The controversy on overseas absentee ballots in the November 2000 elections highlighted the importance of being well-prepared for the upcoming elections to be held on November 5, 2002. The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) has a reminder list to help citizens ensure their ballots are counted. Top of the list in order to ensure that ballots arrive in time to meet state deadlines is to vote and mail your ballot as soon as it is received. On the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA, SF 76) the voting residence address (the citizen's address in his/her home state) must be different from the current mailing address. Without the voting residence address, which gives a geographic location, local election officials cannot send you the proper ballot for your jurisdiction and without a current mailing address, voting materials cannot be sent to the voter. If you are mailing election materials directly from overseas, see that the proper postage is paid to get your ballot to the USPS. The online version of the FPCA which 45 states accept is available at fvap.gov. When faxing, always mail the hard copy of the FPCA or ballot after it has been faxed along with a fax receipt or log which will serve as a record of the date and time of the transmission. Complete information can be found at fvap.gov. Direct contact with locally elected officials can be found at www.fvap.gov/communicating.html. E-mail: vote@fvap.ncr.gov.

The New York Times offers a free weekly newsletter by email, Campaign Countdown, which covers key races with links to local newspapers. www.nytimes.com/politics.

Related to the elections is election reform. The Federation of American Women's Clubs (FAWCO) is urging its members and interested Americans to push NOW for a "Call for Action" for both the House and Senate versions of election reform legislation now pending in Congress.

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Getting What You Paid For, Extending Medicare to Eligiable Beneficiaries in Mexico (U.S. - Mexican Policy Studies Program of Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs in Austin) has been reviewed extensively by Ann King, ACA Country Contact in Ireland. King writes that if you are eligible for Medicare but don't have access because you are abroad, don't just accept it, and don't despair. A tremendous amount of work has been done to set the stage for you to "get what you paid for." Her complete review can be read on this ACA website/Book Reviews. This book can be ordered from Amazon.com.

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On August 19, 2002, fees for passport services provided by the Department of State will change. The fees for first-time adult passport issuance will increase from $60.00 to $85.00 and fees for minors under 16 will increase from $40.00 to $70.00. Adult renewal passport fees will increase from $40.00 to $55.00. The cost of expedited service will increase from $35.00 to $60.00. The revised fee schedule was determined by a cost-of-service study conducted by an independent contractor working closely with the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs. Based on that study, the Department learned that most of its consular fees were not recovering the true cost of providing services. The Schedule of Fees for Consular Services can be found at www.travel.state.gov/2002feechart.html.

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The CPA Letter June 2002, a publication of The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, reported that the Expatriation Tax Task Force submitted to Congress and the Treasury Department a detailed technical analysis of expatriation tax proposals in March. The paper offers suggestions to improve any proposed legislation and points out areas that need further consideration. It was developed over the past year by practitioners expert in expatriate tax issues. The task force's analysis is available at www.cpa2biz.com/ResourceCenters/Tax (for Internet Explorer 5.0 or later or Netscape 6.1 or later). Access to other CPA information is avaible at www.aicpa.org.

The CPA Letter also recommended tax advisors to notify clients of their responsibility to file the "Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts" (Form TDF 90-22.1) when filing tax reports. This form is required to be filed by U.S. citizens and residents who have financial interest in or signature of authority over any financial accounts, including bank, securities or other types in a foreign country, if the value exceeds $10,000. Treasury Department officials made clear in testimony that addressing the lack of disclosure of foreign financial accounts has become a priority. New, easier to impose penalties, on top of those that already exist, are likely to be added for non-filing of the Form 90.22.1.

There is a comprehensive article on property losses and gains by Conrad de Aenlle in The International Herald Tribune / At Home Abroad (www.iht.com). De Aenlle cautions that if you are an American expatriate who has bought a home overseas, think carefully before you sell. The IRS might see you as a shrewd foreign-exchange trader after the transaction is completed and it may cost you dearly. The full article is available on the IHT's website.

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Responding to concerns about the visa issuance process, the State Department plans a review of procedures at the 207 US consulates that issue visas. According to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL), the State Department also wants to conduct special reviews of consulates in countries linked to terrorism and to possibly eliminate the use of travel agencies in visa applications.

Since Sept. 11 there has been a marked decrease both in the number of students coming to the US in high school foreign exchange programs, and the number of US families willing to host students. A combination of factors has led to the decline, including the weak economy, US military actions abroad, and increased anti-immigrant sentiment. Those familiar with the situation say that there has been a decrease of about 20 percent.

The INS recently released statistics that show that the September 11 attacks have encouraged thousands of people to seek US citizenship. From October 1, 2001 through May 31, 2002 the INS received 519,523 naturalization applications, a 65% increase from the previous year. However, the increase in applications and scrutiny of them has slowed the process and the number of approved applications decreased by ten percent.

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NPR programming is now available 24 hours a day via international satellite broadcaster World Space. Listeners with portable, digital WorldSpace radios can access the same popular NPR programs heard throughout the US. Listeners can learn more about NPR on WorldSpace at www.npr.org/worldwide or at www.worldspace.com, which includes a footprint of the WorldSpace service area. In addition to its channel on WorldSpace, NPR Worldwide transmits award-winning programs to audiences around the world on over 140 radio stations, in more than 25 million homes via direct broadcast satellite and in 7 million homes via cable.

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The "On The Go Publishing" website offers travelers useful, helpful information on airlines, hotels, currency evaluation, alternative travel suggestions, museums and transportation in general. It offers a free Travel Savings Alerts Newsletter that covers last-minute travel specials. www.onthegopublishing.com

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   World headquarters: 

   American Citizens Abroad ACA
   5 rue Liotard
   CH-1202 Geneva
   Switzerland
   Phone: +41 22 3400233
   Fax: +41 22 3400448
   email: acage@aca.ch

   In the USA:
    
   American Citizens Abroad
   1051 N. George Mason Drive
   Arlington, VA 22205
   USA
   Fax: +1 (703) 5273269
   email: jacabr@aol.com