🇺🇸🗳📣 MAKE SURE YOU ARE REGISTERED AND READY TO VOTE FROM ABROAD!
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U.S. citizens have the right to vote in primary and general elections,
no matter where in the world they live!
As a United States citizen, whether you are living, working, or traveling overseas, you have the right to vote! It doesn't matter if you were registered to vote before you left the U.S., how long you’ve lived outside the U.S., or if you've never resided in the U.S. If you are a U.S. citizen or dual national, and will be 18 on the date of the next election, you have the right to vote from abroad.
The U.S. State Department recommends that “all U.S. citizens living abroad complete and submit a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) annually, to ensure you remain on your state’s voter rolls and to ensure your local election office has your up-to-date contact information.” The website Vote From Abroad provides all the information, forms, and support you'll need in one place to make voting easy!
✭ ✭ ✭ Some states allow voters to vote electronically.
Others require that ballots be mailed in.
If there is an upcoming election in your state,
be sure to verify the state's requirements in advance! ✭ ✭ ✭
Go to www.votefromabroad.org/states for specific details on all states.
KEY POINTS FOR VOTING
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FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO VOTE FROM COLOMBIA
- Register to vote and request your ballot
- Confirm your request has been accepted
- Receive your ballot
- What if your ballot hasn’t arrived?
- Vote your ballot
- Return your ballot
- Double-check to prevent mistakes
- Confirm your ballot's arrival
- Reach out if you encounter difficulties
- Download your I Voted from Colombia sticker
Registering to vote and requesting your ballot 🗽
At the beginning of every year, take a few minutes to go to votefromabroad.org to fill out your Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) absentee ballot request. Completing the FPCA allows you to register or re-register to vote, request a ballot for all elections for which you are eligible that calendar year, and update your voter information — such as name, party affiliation, address, and ballot preferences. Choose the option to receive ballots by email or online to avoid delays.
By filling out the FPAC every year, you can take advantage of legally-mandated federal voter protections for overseas voters that may not be available to domestic absentee or vote-by-mail voters, including:
- Getting your ballot sent to you by email /online download;
- Receiving your ballot 45 days before a federal election;
- Electronic return options for your voted ballot (varies by state); and
- Having the option to use the Backup Ballot (Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot or FWAB) to vote, in case you have problems getting or returning your regular ballot, or are concerned about postal mail delays.
Submit the FPCA to your local election office in the United States. Most states allow you to submit your FPCA directly from votefromabroad.org without the need to print it out, but some require that you submit your completed form by email attachment, fax, or postal mail. State deadlines and submission requirements can be found here.
If you have any questions while filling out your request form, contact us at [email protected] or [email protected]. You can also type your questions in the chatbox on the Vote From Abroad website (the red circle in the bottom right-hand corner of each screen) or visit the FAQ section on the website.
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Watch a video on how to use www.votefromabroad.org. |
Confirming your request has been accepted ✅
After submitting your FPCA absentee ballot request form, call or email your Local Election Official (LEO) to confirm they have received it and will be sending your ballot. Your LEO's contact information is listed in the instructions generated when you fill out your FPCA form at Vote from Abroad, or you can look up their contact info here.
Most states provide a website where you can verify your voter status. Find your state's website here and scroll down to “Where Is My Ballot?"
Receiving your ballot 📬
Your overseas absentee ballot is not your standard absentee ballot back home! Under federal law (The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or UOCAVA), states must start sending ballots to overseas voters 45 days before a federal election to ensure that the ballots can be returned by election day. In 2026, that date is September 19. In years without a federal election, state and local ballots may go out later.
Your ballot hasn’t arrived? 📭
Check your spam folder.
Still no ballot? Contact your local election official (LEO) (find their contact info here) and confirm they’ve sent your ballot to you.
If you're worried your ballot won't arrive on time or if you haven’t received your ballot a month before the election, and your state requires postal mail return, we recommend you send in a Backup Ballot. The Backup Ballot (Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, FWAB) is designed specifically for overseas voters who are concerned they won't receive their official ballot in time to return it by the deadline. All details about the Backup Ballot can be found here.
Voting your ballot 🗳️
It’s important to carefully follow the directions that come with your ballot and vote in every race on your ballot. State and local races are just as critical as federal!
Need help printing your ballot? If you don't have a printer at home, one option is to go to an internet cafe or another commercial printing service. If you need assistance with how to print the ballot, reach out to us at [email protected]. Please also keep an eye on our website for events that include printing assistance.
To research candidates, issues and ballot initiatives, here are some suggestions:
- Use the candidate's name to search for their campaign website.
- Check the recommendations of your state and local Democratic Party.
- Review the League of Women Voters' Vote411.org service which provides non-partisan ballot and candidate information based on your voting location.
- Check Blue Voter Guide to help you make "informed, pro-democracy, and pro-working-family choices."
- Search for upcoming elections on Ballotpedia.
- Local newspapers, unions, issue advocates, and other associations back home may also provide endorsements.
Returning your ballot 🏣
📌 Remember!
Only use a mail service if you cannot return your ballot electronically. 📌
Ballot return methods – by email, online, via postal mail, by fax – vary by state. Always return your ballot as quickly as possible, but especially if your state only allows postal mail return. Find up-to-date information on your state's ballot return methods here.
If your state allows you to email your ballot, upload it online, or fax it in, we recommend you use these options because they are not subject to delay. Here's more information on fax submission.
If your state requires postal mail return, see info below on options from Colombia. If possible, we recommend using an express international courier service.
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Need help scanning your ballot? Watch this video on how to scan using your smartphone or consider using a free or inexpensive email-to-fax service or app, such as FaxZero, FaxPlus, GeniusFax, HelloFax, or CocoFax. Be sure to confirm that the fax transmission has been successful. |
➡ International Express Courier Service
If your state requires postal mail ballot return, the quickest option is to use an express international courier service. Call or email your local election office in the United States to confirm the best address to use, then check out courier options. DHL and FedEx have offices in Bogota and in other cities in Colombia. FedEx offers a 50% discount for packages mailed on Wednesdays.
Even with expedited courier services, ballots still take several days to get to the United States. Please send your ballot as soon as possible! Do not wait!
If required, be sure to ask for a postmark or date stamp to be placed on the outer envelope. Check your state’s requirements here.
Tips!
- Do not book or pay online with a courier service, because you will not receive a postmark if you do so.
- Do not require a recipient signature upon delivery as this can cause your mail to be rejected.
➡ The U.S. Embassy or Consulate Diplomatic Pouch
The U.S. Embassy in Bogotá is accepting election mail to be sent to the U.S. via diplomatic pouch in 2026. American Citizen Services sent us the following instructions:
- Mark your ballot, place it in the accompanying envelope that should have arrived with the ballot, and close and seal the envelope.
- Come in person to the Embassy at Carrera 45 No. 24B-27 or Calle 24 Bis No. 48-50, and let the staff know you are dropping off your ballot in the drop box.
- If you are outside of Bogotá, place your sealed ballot envelope inside a regular envelope and mail it to the Embassy at Carrera 45 No. 24B-27, Office of American Citizen Services. Include a reference such as "for voting purposes."
When using the Embassy's service, please remember that it can take several weeks for your ballot to reach its U.S. destination. If you do plan to use the diplomatic pouch, we recommend that your ballot reach the Embassy at least a month before the election (so the first week of October) to ensure that it arrives in time to be counted.
When using the diplomatic pouch mail service, you will need U.S. postage on the ballot envelope because it will be delivered into the U.S. mail system after transportation to the United States by the diplomatic service. You can use a U.S. postage-paid return envelope (sometimes provided with your ballot), or an envelope bearing sufficient U.S. postage, or you can download a free U.S. postage-paid ballot return envelope template at FVAP.gov.
Concerned about rules prohibiting third-party ballot handling? Check your state’s requirements here.
REMINDER:
U.S. Embassies and Consulates are NOT polling places.
Same-day voting is not available outside the United States.
Checking twice to prevent mistakes 👀
When filling out and packaging your ballot, don't forget to review the instructions carefully. Don't let human error spoil your ballot!
Confirming your ballot's arrival at your local election office in the United States ✅
Once you've sent your ballot, follow up to make sure that the ballot arrived and will be counted. Please do not just assume that your ballot has been received!
The easiest way to ensure your ballot has arrived is to go to "Track Your Ballot" on your state’s website. You can also look up your local election officer's contact details here and contact them directly. If you don't get through immediately, be persistent!
Having trouble? Need help? 🆘
Because the voting process can seem complicated or confusing, we are here to help. Write us at [email protected] or [email protected] with any and all questions.
You can also type your questions in the chatbox on the website Vote From Abroad (the red circle in the bottom right-hand corner of each screen) or visit the FAQ section on the website.
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