This is a midterm election year — all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 of the 100 Senate seats, and 39 gubernatorial seats are on the ballot this November. U.S. citizens have the right to vote in Congressional elections, no matter where in the world they live! If you're a U.S. citizen or a dual-national and will be 18 on November 8, 2022, you have the right to vote from abroad in US elections — including in the November 2022 midterms!

As a U.S. citizen, you can register to vote from abroad while living, working, or traveling overseas by submitting one form — the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). 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. at all. You have the right to vote!

You need to complete and submit a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) every election year, to ensure you remain on your state’s voter rolls and to ensure your local election office has your up-to-date contact information.

   Vote From Abroad will take you through every step needed to request your ballot and make voting easy!

📌  There is NO IN-PERSON VOTING in Hungary – you must request your ballot in advance for the November election! 📌

✭ ✭ ✭ In 2022, the following States must postal mail in the ballot. Vote as soon as you get your ballot! Don't wait to return your ballot! ✭ ✭ ✭

 Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Go to www.votefromabroad.org/states for specific  details

✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭

Additional Voting Details on this page: 

1. Registering to vote and requesting your ballot

2. Confirming your request has been accepted

3. Receiving your ballot

4. Oct 1 and the ballot hasn’t arrived? 

5. Voting your ballot

6. Returning your ballot

7. Checking twice to prevent mistakes

8. Confirming your ballot's arrival

9. What to do if you encounter difficulties

10. Getting your "I Voted from Austria" Stickers 

✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭

1. Registering to vote and requesting your ballot for the 2022 midterm elections

The first step is to request your ballot, and if need be, register to vote from abroad. You should do this every election year to ensure you remain on your state’s overseas voter rolls and to ensure your local election office has your up-to-date contact information.

It’s important to register as an absentee voter from abroad – using the FPCA form – because the ballots of US citizens voting from abroad have special protections and are different from the standard absentee ballot. 

Go to VoteFromAbroad.org to fill out your Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) absentee ballot request — it takes 5-10 minutes! If you're not registered to vote, the FPCA also serves as a voter registration form. Choose the option to receive ballots by email.

If you have any questions while filling out your request form, go to the Vote from Abroad FAQ section or type your question in the website's chatbox (red circle in the bottom right-hand corner of each page on the DA website). Or you can email us at: [email protected] 

2. Confirming your Ballot 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. You can also look up their contact info here. 

Most states provide a website where you can verify your voter status. To find your state's website, click here and scroll down to “Where Is My Ballot?"

3. Receiving your ballot 📬

Your overseas absentee ballot is not your standard absentee ballot back home! Thanks to the MOVE Act, all states must send FPCA-requested  absentee ballots to overseas voters no later than 45 days before a federal election — this year that’s September 24, 2022. 

And, if requested, all states must send overseas voters their ballot by email.

You don't need to wait for ballots to arrive on September 24. If you're worried your ballot won't arrive on time, send in a Backup Ballot NOW. The Backup Ballot (Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot or FWAB) is 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.

4. Your ballot hasn’t arrived? 📭

Check your spam folder. Still no ballot? Contact your local election official here and confirm they’ve sent your ballot to you. Go to VoteFromAbroad.org if you need to send in a new FPCA absentee ballot request form.

If you haven’t received your ballot by October 1 and your state requires postal mail return, we recommend you send in a Backup Ballot to make sure your vote gets to your state in time. All details about the Backup Ballot can be found here.

5. Voting your ballot 🗳️

It’s easy to get informed about candidates, ballot initiatives, and judicial candidates and important to vote your ballot completely. State and local races are critical in 2022! 

The simplest way is to vote for Democrats straight down the ballot. Some elected positions do not list a party affiliation, like school boards, judges, and others. To determine who to vote for in those cases, you can do the following: 

• Google your county's local Democratic Party
• Go to the League of Women Voters personalized ballot service 
• Go to Ballotpedia - Example: google “Ballotpedia Arizona elections 2022”
• Google the candidate's name to find their campaign website

6. There are lots of ways to return your ballot! 

📌 Remember! Only use a mail service if you cannot return your ballot electronically 📌

Ballot return methods – by email, online, postal mail, fax – vary by state. Always return your ballot as quickly as possible, but especially if your state only allows postal mail return. Find your state's exact ballot return methods here.

If your state allows email, online upload or fax  for ballot return, please use these options as they’re not subject to delay! Here is more information on fax submission.

If your state requires postal mail return, see info below on options from Hungary.

New Jersey Voters: Please note that New Jersey allows for email or fax returns, but requires that the ballot ALSO be sent by postal mail.

New York Voters: Here are instructions on How to fold the New York State General Election ballot.

➡ International Postal Service:  

If your state requires postal mail ballot return, one option is to use express international mail from the Hungarian Postal Service. 

– Late October Update: Hungarian Postal Service is not likely to deliver your ballot in time.  We encourage you to use an express Courier service – See offer below.

➡ The U.S. Embassy/Consulate Diplomatic Pouch:

– Late October Update: It is now too late to use the Embassy Diplomatic Pouch.  We encourage you to use an express Courier service – See offer below.

➡ Express Courier Service:

If your state requires postal mail ballot return, the quickest option is to use an Express Courier service.

DA Hungary has arranged for a discount with DHL for ballots to be returned to the U.S.
The discount is only available till 31 Oct. 2022. 

Confirm with your local election office the best address to use for a Courier delivery! DHL cannot send to a P.O. Box! 

Use USA30 for a 30% discount. More information and details are here:  https://mydhl.express.dhl/hu/hu/shipment.html#/?fromCountry=HU#address-details

Please do not use an online booking service if your state requires a postmark to be on the outside envelope AND your ballot might arrive close to or after Nov 8! Find out your state’s requirements here.

Even with expedited courier services though, ballots still take several days to get to the United States. Please send your ballot as soon as possible!  

📌 Remember! Only use a mail service if you cannot return your ballot electronically 📌

7. 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!

Regardless of how you send in your ballot, remember that you – the voter – must be the one who places it “in the mail.” In some states, it is unlawful for any other person to handle your voted ballot, even if it is sealed. Unsure? Find out your state’s requirements here. 

8. Confirming your ballot's arrival at your local election office in the United States ✓✓

Once you've sent your ballot, follow up with your local election official to make sure that it arrived and will be counted. Please do not just assume that your ballot has made it! 

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 office's contact details here and contact them directly. They may be experiencing a high volume of calls, so you may need to be persistent to get through to someone.

9. Having trouble? Need help? 😕

We understand that the voting process to some states can be confusing — that's why we're here to help! Send us an email at  [email protected] or contact [email protected]

Annual General Meeting - Online

Our gathering in 2008 was documented by local media and joined by other groups also seeking political reform.  Here is a short clip of the event from a Hungarian news portal: 

During the last hour of President Obama’s administration, on 20 January 2017, we returned again to the same square to close out this chapter in American history.  Around 50 members of Democrats Abroad came together to sing American anthems and to share with each other some of the Obama accomplishments that we found most significant.  Participants spoke out expressing the importance of: America regaining respect in the world, the Affordable Care Act, Dignity, Net Neutrality, Marriage Equality, Economic Recovery, improving the rights of women in the workplace, and having a president with the ability to speak in complete grammatical sentences. 

Our DA-Hungary Chair, Marylin Ball-Brown, led the group in singing This Land is Your Land, America the Beautiful, and We Shall Overcome.  As a trained opera singer, she then closed out the event by singing Amazing Grace.  Many in the crowd had eyes filled with tears as we bid farewell to the Obama Presidency.

Not in the US for the week of Super Tuesday?

You can vote for your choice of Democratic presidential candidate in-person at the American Corner in Budapest, on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of March.

Contact and RSVP to: [email protected]

photo by Richard Ricciardi

Welcome to Democrats Abroad Hungary!

DA-HU is the official country committee for US Democrats living in Hungary. Watch this space for upcoming announcements of meetings and events - we have events planned throughout the year, and encourage anyone interested in participating to get in touch.

If you have questions or would like to help with Democrats Abroad in Hungary please contact us.

Merrill Oates, Chair
Democrats Abroad - Hungary
[email protected]

Follow us on Facebook