REGISTER TO VOTE in the U.S. GENERAL ELECTION - NOW!
By Adrienne Jones on July 27th, 2008
If you registered to vote in the Democrats Abroad Primary in February, we thank you heartily! But, that will NOT qualify you to vote in the U.S. Presidential general election!
To make sure your absentee vote counts in the general election, YOU MUST REGISTER IN YOUR VOTING STATE (the state where you last resided)! REGISTER to vote via the VFA, also known as the Democrats Abroad Wizard at: www.votefromabroad.org.
DO IT NOW! Many states require that your absentee ballot requests and/or registration to vote be received at your county election board from a few days to a week before November 4. As Americans living overseas, we know the postal system better than that!
Allow time for three (3!) mailings between you and your voting state:
1. Mailing or faxing your Request for Absentee Ballot form to your county /state election board
2. Getting your absentee ballot back
3. Filling in the ballot and mailing it back to election board
1. Read the instructions thoroughly. Select your voting state. That’s the state where you last resided. If you never lived in the U.S., but one or both parents did, choose the state where they last lived.
2. The VFA web site automatically customizes the form for each state.
3. You’ll need U.S. ID information: Your state drivers’ license if you still have it, or the last 4 digits of your U.S. Social Security number. In some states, your U.S. Passport number may be required.
4. Complete as best you can the address where you or parents last lived.
5. Print out the forms. You’ll see 6 pages. One is a fax cover sheet with election board address. One is your Request for Absentee Ballot form (already filled in). Make a copy for your records. Sign and date, and mail the original to the county or state election board.
6. Keep the 4-page Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) form in a file. Use it ONLY IF you do NOT receive your absentee ballot at least two weeks before your state’s absentee ballot deadline.
For more information: demcan@aol.com /416-972-9505;
toll-free: 1-877-336-2008 or demcan@sympatico.ca /416-922-8968.