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Special Consular Services

Voter Registration

The right to vote can be exercised by all United States citizens throughout the world. Members of the military, other uniformed services, the Merchant Marine and their eligible family members, and all U.S. citizens overseas can vote under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). Procedures and deadlines for voting absentee vary from state to state.  See www.fvap.gov for more information.

Voting Information for the 2008 Primary and General Elections

October 2007

This is a reminder that in just three months we will be entering the U. S. presidential and state primary season.  Five primaries are currently slated for January, another 20 are scheduled for February, and the rest take place from early March through early October.  Registration for the first primary (the District of Columbia) closes December 10, 2007.  We encourage you to act now so that your opinion is heard – not only in the November 2008 presidential and general elections, but also in the presidential primary and state primary elections!  The official U.S. Government website for overseas absentee voting assistance is the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website www.fvap.gov.

Generally, all U.S. 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.  This includes primary, run-off, and special elections that occur throughout the year, as well as the general election in November 2008.  Some states allow overseas voters to vote in elections for state and local offices, and for state and local referendums.

Voting eligibility and residency requirements are determined by the various U.S. states, and are available on-line at http://fvap.gov/pubs/vag.html.  Your "legal state of residence" for voting purposes is the state where you last resided immediately prior to departure from the United States.  Voting rights extend to overseas citizens even though they may no longer own property or have other ties to their last state of residence, and even if their intent to return to that state may be uncertain.  For those who have never resided in the U.S., sixteen states, to date, allow eligible U.S. citizens to register where a parent would be eligible to vote. 

To register to vote and/or apply for an absentee ballot, you can use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).  The on-line version, the OFPCA, is accepted by all states and territories except American Samoa and Guam.  Voters from American Samoa and Guam must use the standard form of the FPCA, available at the Consulate General or through many American civic groups.  The on-line OFPCA form must be completed legibly, printed, signed, dated, and mailed to your local election officials.  Your state may allow faxing to speed the process, but you will still need to send in the original by mail.  Use an envelope and affix proper postage.  The official U.S. Government website for overseas absentee voting assistance, www.fvap.gov, has a wealth of information about absentee voting, including the state-specific instructions for completing the FPCA form, links to state and local officials, and a downloadable emergency ballot for use by those who register in time but fail to receive an official ballot.

As a general rule, you should try to send in the FPCA so that it reaches your local election officials at least forty-five days before the first election in which you are eligible to vote --- ample time for them to process the request and send you a blank ballot.  If applying for both registration and an absentee ballot, you may want to mail the FPCA earlier.  One FPCA will qualify you to receive all ballots for Federal offices for the next two regular Federal elections (through 2010).  However, we recommend that you submit a new FPCA in January of every year, and whenever you move, to ensure that your most recent mailing and e-mail addresses are on file with your local election officials.
Under normal circumstances, most states and territories begin sending ballots to overseas citizens 30-45 days before an election.  However, if you haven’t received your ballot within three weeks of your state’s ballot receipt deadline, and you are required to return your voted ballot by mail, you should download, complete, sign, date, and send in a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB), available at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefwab.html.  Make sure it is witnessed if required by your state.  If you subsequently receive your regular absentee ballot, execute it and return it regardless of when you receive it.  Court decisions sometimes require late counting of ballots voted by Election Day, but received by local election officials for a specified period of time following Election Day.

Be an Educated Voter

Non-partisan information about candidates, their voting records, and their positions on issues is widely available and easy to obtain via the Internet.  Use the links appearing on the FVAP website at http://www.fvap.gov/links/otherlinks.html , read your hometown newspaper on-line, or search the Internet to locate articles and information.

The Voting Assistance Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb is also always available to answer questions about absentee voting.  To contact the Voting Assistance Officer, call (01)661-2276. or send an e-mail to VoteZagreb@state.gov . 

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Voter Registration

Online Voting Survey

The U.S. Embassy is sending this message to registered American citizens to inform them that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), through the Overseas Vote Foundation, is conducting a survey on absentee voting. EAC has asked for the State Department's help in disseminating the survey to Americans worldwide.

The survey asks voters about their experiences and preferences with respect to electronic (fax, email, online) submission of voting materials and seeks to improve the ability of overseas citizens to vote. The results and EAC's recommendations will be reported to Congress.

Below you will find an invitation letter and a link to the online survey, which should take 8 - 10 minutes to complete. Your personal information will remain confidential. Participation is voluntary.

Dear Voter:

We are conducting a survey of overseas and military absentee voters and are inviting you to tell us about your experience with voting or trying to vote in the November 2006 election. Please take 8-10 minutes to fill out this survey. Your responses are confidential and will be used to improve overseas voting programs.

This survey is sponsored by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and being conducted by the Overseas Vote Foundation and our project partner, Q2 Data & Research, LLC. Your feedback will help to influence developments which will make it easier for us to participate!

Please help by sharing your experiences and opinions with us. Only with your feedback can we make good recommendations. Thank you in advance for your time.

From your friends at Overseas Vote Foundation


Please use this internet address to begin the survey:
http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2267HAA8QWY