ACA American Citizens Abroad

In 2010, every seat in the House of Representatives and 36 Senate seats will be contested. Midterm congressional elections are federal elections, open to overseas voters. Your vote in 2010 for U.S. Congress is as crucial as was your vote in 2008...

Remember, as a US Citizen living overseas you have the right to vote even if:

• You do not plan to return to the USA to live
• You do not own property in the US
  
• You have lived abroad for a major part of your life
• You have no present US address

 
US Citizens living overseas should vote because:

• The US insists upon taxation; you insist upon representation!
• Midterm elections are crucial indicators of voter approval/disapproval.
• This right was a hard-won right for US Citizens living abroad.
• Local officials and Congress need to be sensitive to US Citizens living abroad

Answers to some basic questions about voting from overseas:

What is my voting address?
The last place you resided in the USA (no matter how long ago)!

What Materials do I need to vote?
An Absentee Ballot with a form called the FPCA – Federal Post Card Application.

How soon before an election should I vote?
To make sure you receive a ballot, request one for each election.  i.e. Primary, General. Do it at least 2-3 months before the election.

How do I request an Absentee Ballot?
The easiest way to get an FPCA is online by visiting Overseas Vote Foundation .  OVF is very user-friendly.  You can and fill out the FPCA and also get the address of your voting district.
You can also get a hard copy FPCA thru the Federal Voting Assistance Program , American consulates, or ACA.

Are children born abroad who have never resided in the USA eligible to vote?
In many states, they can vote in the district of their citizen parent.  It’s worth trying!

What should you do if your ballot does not arrive?
If you have requested a ballot with the FPCA and it doesn’t arrive in  time, you are eligible to use the FWAB, the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot.

BE AGGRESSIVE –
If you have a problem, don’t hesitate to call your voting district directly.  Sometimes, they simply do not understand that Americans live abroad!  Report the problem to ACA and OVF!


How to contact Congress:
All of your representatives can be found by State and/or zip code on this site: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ .
Their email addresses, and phone numbers are all on included. Click on your representative’s name to get their full addresses in Washington DC and in their home state. You may copy this to use in your letter.

Sending methods

Email
Advantage: instant communication
Disadvantage: some overseas servers may be blocked
Most members of Congress permit constituents to contact them via email through their website. Typically, you have  to enter the zip code of “residence”; give the zip of your last residence in the U.S., then explain in your message that you are a voter in her/his constituency who resides abroad.

Fax
Advantage: rapid transmission; is considered as a “hard copy” communication
Disadvantage: need for fax machine
Fax numbers will be listed this site: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ and on Reps. websites.

Letter
Advantage: “hard copy” communication
Disadvantage: delivery may be delayed for weeks for security reasons
Mailing addresses are on this site: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ and on Reps. websites