Join the Asia-Pacific Backup Ballot Return Timing Contest for August 2026!

Do you vote in a ballot-return-by-mail-only state?  Help us find out how long it takes mail to get from where you live to where you vote. 

The point of the contest is to get an idea of how long its going to take from mailing a ballot in your country until it's arrival is confirmed by your state's ballot tracking website, or Local Election Officer (LEO).

We're asking you to send in your Backup Ballot by August 31st. 

How to Play:

1. Go to https://www.votefromabroad.org/faqs/fwab-what-is-backup-ballot  and follow the instructions to fill out your Backup Ballot (Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot - FWAB).  
   1. Even if your state has special envelope rules, Federal law says they have to accept the two envelope covers provided in the FWAB packages. 
2. Send an email to your country committee, e.g. [email protected] with the date you mailed your FWAB.
3. Contact your LEO or check your states ballot confirmation website after a week, to confirm that your ballot has been received and will be counted, and keep checking until its been confirmed. (Everyone should do this anyway, especially in 2026!)
4. Send another email to your country committee with the ballot receipt confirmation date.

We will post the delivery times in the table below.  This will give you a good idea of the deadline for mailing back your official ballot, and also help other members from your state

• • Assuming you requested your ballot by VFA and requested that it be delivered by email, it should be in your in-box on September 19th, Ballot-Drop-Day, 45 days before the General Election on November 3rd. 
  • You can submit your official ballot, with your FWAB serving as insurance against any shenanigans with ballot receipt dates, etc.  Only one ballot will be counted. 
• Be the first in your state to get ballot confirmation and we'll send you an Early Voter Certificate!