Official Voting Instructions for US Citizens Abroad

It’s that time again.

We are approaching the 2012 US elections, and the voter registration rules for US citizens abroad have changed.

The current Warden for the US Embassy in Mexico, Jim Pierce, has made a good synopsis of the new rules, and given good how-to descriptions of how to vote in the upcoming US elections for US citizens living internationally.

Here’s the US Embassy Message for 2012 Voting:

Happy 4th of July! U.S. citizens around the globe will soon mark the 236th anniversary of our Nation’s Independence Day with family and community gatherings, food, and fireworks. For U.S. citizens living outside the United States, the 4th of July is an opportunity for all of us, regardless of political affiliation, to celebrate our shared values as citizens of the United States of America.

Have a say in our country’s future. One of our most treasured values is the right and the privilege to vote to participate actively in our country’s democratic process. This November, U.S. citizens will elect a President, a Vice President, one-third of the Senate, and the entire House of Representatives. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City encourages all U.S. citizens to participate in this year’s elections, and stands ready to help you vote.
Almost all overseas U.S. citizens can vote. Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia now allow adult children who have never resided in the United States to vote using their parents’ state of voting residence. Details are available on the FVAP website at http://www.fvap.gov/reference/nvr-res.html.

Register and request a ballot. To vote, new laws require you to complete and submit a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) this calendar year. The FPCA allows you to register to vote and request an absentee ballot. If you haven’t yet done so, we urge you to do so now. The easiest way to complete it is online at www.FVAP.gov. Depending on your State’s rules, you then send it to your local election officials electronically or by mail.

Mailing guidance. Print out the completed FPCA and the (U.S.) postage-paid envelope containing the address of your local election officials. You can drop off the postage-paid envelope (containing your FPCA) at the Embassy, and we will mail it back home for you without the need to pay international postage. If it’s easier for you to use Mexico’s postal system, be sure to affix sufficient international postage and allow sufficient time for international mail delivery.

If you would like to mail your forms and ballots to the United States through the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, you may drop them off with us during regular business hours (8:30am – 4:30pm). Our address is Paseo de la Reforma 305, Col. Cuauhtémoc, Mexico D.F.. If you are in Guanajuato, Guerrero or Oaxaca you can also drop off your forms and ballots in person at the consular agencies in San Miguel de Allende, Ixtapa, Acapulco, or Oaxaca. You can find the address and contact information of these agencies here. In each case, please allow plenty of time for delivery as mail sent by us to the United States must first be sent to Texas where it is then deposited as standard U.S. mail. If you are dropping off your forms or ballots at the Embassy, please do so at least two weeks before the deadline. If dropping of your forms or ballots at one of the four consular agencies mentioned above, please do so at least three weeks before the deadline. U.S. citizens in other areas of Mexico should seek assistance from the U.S. consulates or consular agencies located throughout the country. Click on the following to find a directory of the consulates and consular agencies.
Make your vote count! Follow your State’s absentee voting procedures carefully. Send in your FPCA before the registration deadline. When you get your ballot, vote and mail it promptly so it reaches local election officials by your State’s absentee ballot receipt deadline.
Questions? If you have any questions about registering to vote, please contact the Embassy at 5080-2000 ext. 4245 or at acsmexicocity@state.gov.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: New absentee voting laws are in effect for the 2012 elections. You may no longer automatically receive ballots based on a previous absentee ballot request. All U.S. citizens outside the United States who want to vote by absentee ballot in U.S. elections should complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) every year. States are now required to send out ballots 45 days before an election. No matter what State you vote in, you can now ask your local election officials to provide your blank ballots to you electronically (by email, internet download, or fax, depending on your State). You can now also confirm your registration and ballot delivery online. Be sure to include your email address on the form to take advantage of the electronic ballot delivery option. This is the fastest and most reliable way to receive your ballot on time, and we strongly recommend every voter take advantage of it. Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) website at http://www.FVAP.gov.

Message from US Embassy
Posted by Jim Pierce, Warden

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As always, we here at Yucalandia welcome updates and further information, and we will continue to report updates as we find them.

* * * *

Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
Dr. Steven M. Fry

Read on MacDuff!