Absentee Voting for U.S. Citizens

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) guarantees United States citizens overseas the right to vote in federal elections in the United States.  Be an active voter. Start thinking about your participation in the U.S. 2012 elections today!   The Consular Section's American Citizen Services Unit can help facilitate voting overseas by accepting absentee ballots and mailing them to local election officials in the United States.  
 
Eligible citizen voters can use the website for the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) at http://www.fvap.gov to register and request for an absentee ballot on-line by selecting the On-Line Federal Post Card Application (OFPCA).  The FVAP website contains valuable information on all aspects of the absentee voting process, particularly the on-line version of the Voting Assistance Guide (VAG), which is an essential tool as voting regulations and procedures vary from state to state, including deadlines for submitting applications.  The VAG also indicates if the FPCA or Absentee Ballot must be notarized or witnessed, a service that will be provided at no charge by the Embassy.

2012 Election Cycle Begins Now!

PLEASE NOTE:  New absentee voting laws are in effect for the 2012 elections.  You will 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 the 2012 primary and general elections must complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) every year if they wish to vote from abroad. 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 on-line. 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 overseas voter take advantage of it. Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program's (FVAP) website.  

Be an Educated Voter. Check out the FVAP links page 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 numerous websites such as Project Smart Voter.  You can also read national and hometown newspapers on-line, or search the Internet to locate articles and information.  For information about election dates and deadlines, subscribe to FVAP's Voting Alerts (e-mail vote@fvap.gov). FVAP also shares Voting Alerts via Facebook and Twitter. 

If you have any questions about registering to vote overseas, please contact US Embassy Algiers Voting Assistance Officer at VoteALGIERS@state.gov.  

More Information

• The League of Women Voters
• Overseas Vote Foundation
• International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
• Project Smart Voter
• Federal Election Commission