VIRGINIA IS HOLDING ITS CRUCIAL MIDTERM ELECTIONS – MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD!
What elections are there in Virginia? What am I voting for?
Voting has never been more important and your vote is crucial! All Virginia overseas voters can vote in these important elections.
Virginia will hold its Midterm elections for US House Representatives and there are several excellent Democrats in tough races this year. Two major “toss-up” races this year are:
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Elaine Luria, who represents the Virginia portion of the Delmarva Peninsula and the Norfolk area and has been so impressive on the January 6 Committee hearings
- Abigail Spanberger, whose newly re-drawn district includes the area northeast of Charlottesville and is a true “purple” district which both Biden and Youngkin would have won.
The Democratic majority in the US House could hinge on your vote!
1) Register to Vote and Request Your Ballot Today
It's easy to request your ballot – and your ballot request covers all elections in 2022, including any possible Runoffs or Special Elections.
Go to www.votefromabroad.org and follow the prompts to fill out the form to request your ballot, the Federal Post Card Application form (FPCA). (If needed, it will also serve as a voter registration.) To ensure you receive your ballot in time, please check the box on the FPCA to have your blank ballot sent to you by “Email/Online” or “Fax”.
You can send in your FPCA to your local election office in Virginia by email (recommended) or fax or mail:
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If you are registered to vote, you MUST still send in an FPCA to request your ballot in 2022 to vote in this election. Your FPCA must be received by October 28, 2022, at 5pm Virginia time.
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If you are NOT registered to vote, your FPCA must be received by October 17, 2022.
Special Deadline for Active Duty Military and Family: If you are a member of the military and a family member, your FPCA form must be received by November 8, 2022, at 7pm Virginia time.
You can check your voter registration status online using: https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation
You may need to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to this website from outside the US. For more information about how to use a VPN, please click here.
2) When You Get Your Ballot, Fill It Out and Mail It Back Right Away
Ballots started going out on September 24, 2022. If you asked for your ballot by email, be sure to check your spam folder and any secondary inboxes.
When you get your ballot, fill it out and mail it back right away. You must return your ballot by mail.
*REMEMBER: You must have a witness sign your voter materials. Do Not Sign the Ballot Itself!
Anyone who is 18 years or older may be a ballot witness. Please have them sign where indicated on the voter materials.
Your ballot must be postmarked no later than November 8 AND it also must be received in Virginia by November 14, at 12pm Virginia time.
For ideas on how to mail your ballot back by the deadline, please click here
And to contact DA volunteers in the country you're living in now for specific ideas for mailing back your ballot, please click here to go to the DA page for your country.
3) Send in a Backup Ballot Now
You don’t need to wait until ballots come out in late September! If you have any concerns that your ballot won’t make it back in time to meet the deadline, you can send in a Backup Ballot NOW.
The Backup Ballot (the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, or FWAB) is only for overseas voters and protects your right to vote in case your official ballot doesn't arrive in time. For detailed information how to use the Backup Ballot, please click here
When you use the Backup Ballot for a federal election, the website will indicate the candidates for US House in your Congressional District.
And when you print out your Backup Ballot materials, remember your witness must sign your voter materials. (The Backup Ballot instructions fail to include this requirement).
Don't Sign the Backup Ballot Itself! Your witness should sign on the "Voter Information" page -- in Block 6. It should look like this:
4) Confirm That Your Ballot Was Accepted and Counted
After you send in your ballot, make sure your vote is counted!
You can check your ballot status online using: www.elections.virginia.gov/citizen-portal
You may need to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to this website from outside the US. For more information about how to use a VPN, please click here.
Or, you can email or call your local election office directly. You can find the contact information at: www.votefromabroad.org/states/VA; scroll down to "Find Your Election Office"
And if there is a problem with your ballot, you may be able to fix it – but the earlier you send it in, the more time you’ll have.
NEED HELP? EMAIL US AT [email protected]