AMERICAN CITIZENS ABROAD (ACA)

http://www.aca.ch/

A non-profit association dedicated to serving and defending the interests of US citizens world-wide.

News from ACA--19 May 1998--issue 40 (update)

(to return to the News Update Index, click here)

This is an archive. Some links may not be valid anymore.

INDONESIAN SITUATION.

US citizens and immediate family members wanting to leave Indonesia should check out the US Embassy in Jakarta web site http://www.usembassyjakarta.org/ for continuously updated information. To enquire about a US citizen relative in Indonesia, call the US number +1 202 6470900.

PLEASE NOTE NEW ADDRESS FOR ACA.

ACA World Headquarters has moved to new, larger office space in Geneva. The new mailing address is

    American Citizens Abroad ACA
    5 B, rue Liotard
    CH-1202 Geneva
    Switzerland

NEW phone-fax: +41 (0)22 3400233 email (unchanged): acage@aca.ch Mail which continues to arrive at PO Box 321, CH-1211 Geneva 12 will still be picked up, but we prefer you use the new address.

PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES...

...if you've been trying to reach ACA on the phone these last few days. Since we've moved, we have a NEW phone number. The old number +41 (0)22 3476847 now works as well, but it was disconnected for a few days last week. Our NEW number, which you should use now, is 0041 22 3400233 from most countries 022 3400233 from Switzerland 011 41 22 3400233 from the USA If you have any problems, please contact ACA by email. Thank you.

WELCOME TO TWO NEW ACA COUNTRY REPS in...

SOUTH KOREA, Mr Joseph Avallone joe@baekyang.pusan-c.ac.kr teaches at the Pusan College of Information Technology (48-6 Kupo-dong, ROI-Pusan 616-737).
GERMANY, Mr Norman Burgo 100677.3506@compuserve.com, is retired military but active on issues related to Americans who have served in the armed forces. His mailing address is: Ostring 65, D-54634 Bitburg.

WANT SOME SUN IN YOUR DAY?

SUN (Spouses' Underground Newsletter) is published three times a year for Foreign Service and expat spouses. As editor Francesca Kelley says, it's for "people who come along for the ride -- or are dragged when their husband or wife gets the big job overseas." Take a peek at their new website at: http://www.expatexchange.com/promo/sun.htm

FRANCE/USA LANGUAGE & CULTURAL CENTER

has a site http://www.fr-usa.com accessible in either English or French, which is rich in information and links to all related to French language and culture.

WE CAN'T YET COUNT ON BEING COUNTED...

...in Census 2000, but Eugene Marans of the Washington law firm Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton met recently with ACA's Associate Executive Director Warren Furth, and the possibility that overseas Americans will be included in the upcoming census is very real.

We MUST keep manifesting interest. Write a letter, ask ACA for a card to be sent to Rep. Dan Miller, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Census (House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515) or leave your message on his home page at: http://www1.house.gov/danmiller

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET ... TO VOTE!

Remember the little ditty to keep track of daylight saving time: spring forward -- fall back? It's good to remember in connection with voting from abroad, too. Spring is the best time to plan forward to fall voting time, by submitting a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to your voting district in the US.

Most states require that the completed FPCA form be received at least 30 days prior to an election. While there seems to be a lot of time between now and November, slow mails and possible requests for clarifications can quickly eat up those weeks.

How to get this FPCA form? From your embassy or consulate, or often via your local American club. The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) quickly sends its hefty "Voting Assistance Guide" to those who wish to help register other Americans to vote absentee. Using the guide, it is easy to figure out the ins and outs of the process. You can contact the FVAP directly via e-mail mailto:vote@fvap.gov, fax: +1 (703) 6935507, or via toll free numbers (from the US) you can find at their recently revamped website at: http://www.fvap.gov

Who can vote...?
Generally, all US citizens 18 years or older who are or will be residing outside the United States during an election period are eligible to vote absentee in any election for Federal office. In addition, all members of the Armed Forces, their family members and members of the Merchant Marine and their family members who are US citizens, may vote absentee in state and local elections.
and where...?
For civilian citizens residing outside the US, your "legal state of residence" for voting purposes is the state in which you last resided immediately prior to your departure from the US. This right extends to overseas citizens even though they may no longer own property or have other ties to their last state of residence and their intent to return to that state may be uncertain.

Keep in mind that exercising your right to vote in elections for Federal offices only, does not affect the determination of residence or domicile for purposes of any tax imposed under Federal, state or local law.

American Citizens Abroad's biweekly News Update network offers news and views relevant to Americans living abroad. Essential to the success of such a network is feedback and input from recipients. This News Update is, like ACA itself, of, by and for Americans abroad. ACA is staffed entirely through the efforts of volunteers, with its primary income source being modest membership fees and donations from concerned individuals. The News Update can be maintained in the long-term only if it justifies itself in terms of membership and donation revenue for the organization. While ACA makes every effort to be accurate in the information it transmits, such information is not to be considered a substitute for specific and qualified professional advice.

   American Citizens Abroad ACA
   5B, rue Liotard                   
   CH-1202 Geneva                    
   Switzerland                       
   Phone & Fax: +41 (0)22 3400233    
   email: acage@aca.ch 
   
   or    
                              
   American Citizens Abroad   
   1051 N. George Mason Drive 
   Arlington, VA 22205        
   USA                        
   Fax +1 (703) 527-3269

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