All U.S. citizens can now receive their blank ballots electronically. Depending on the state in which you are eligible to vote, you can receive your ballot by email, fax, or internet download. To start, complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) on www.FVAP.gov. Once you print and sign the FPCA, please return it to your local election office in the United States. We recommend that overseas U.S. citizens get into the habit of completing FPCAs each January. In addition, please include your email address on the FPCA so it’s easier for your election officials to contact you if there is a problem.
Electronic ballot delivery is the fastest and most reliable way to receive your ballot on time, and we strongly recommend every overseas U.S. citizen voter take advantage of it. If your state delivers ballots via fax, please include your fax number on the FPCA as well. If you request electronic delivery and include your email address or fax number, you’ll receive your blank ballot 45 days before general and mid-term elections and generally 30 days before special, primary, and run-off elections for federal offices. Most states now have voter registration verification websites that offer a method to track the status of your registration and ballot.
Returning Your Completed, Signed Ballot: Some states allow you to return your completed ballot electronically and others do not. If your state requires you to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials by mail, you can do so through international mail, or professional courier service, or through the U.S. Embassy in Malta.
If you are sending your ballot through the U.S. Embassy in Malta, ballots can be dropped off at the Main Compound Access Control (MCAC) at the U.S. Embassy, Ta Qali National Park, Attard, ATD 4000, from Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. Ballots must be placed in postage paid return envelopes or in envelopes bearing sufficient U.S. domestic postage so they can be delivered to the proper local election authorities. Please note that all visitors to the U.S. Embassy are subject to security screening and you are not permitted to bring electronic devices, including cell phones, inside the facility. Please note that it can take up to six weeks for mail to reach its destination if sent through the U.S. Embassy. All overseas U.S. citizens are advised to submit their forms and ballots accordingly, if possible.
Remember that your vote counts, and that many U.S. elections within the past ten years have been decided by a margin of victory of less than 0.1%. All states are required to count every absentee ballot as long as it is valid and it reaches local election officials by the absentee ballot receipt deadline.
Be an educated voter. Check out FVAP for helpful resources that will aid your research of candidates and issues. Non-partisan information about candidates, their voting records, and their positions on issues are widely available and easy to obtain via various websites such as Project Smart Voter. You can also read national and hometown newspapers online, or search the internet to locate articles and information. For information about election dates and deadlines, subscribe to FVAP’s Voting Alerts (vote@fvap.gov). FVAP also shares voting alerts via Facebook and Twitter.