You have the right to vote!

Voting from Abroad in 2026

🗳 Make sure you are registered and ready to
VOTE FROM ABROAD! 🇺🇸

Do it now. Protect your vote and protect our democracy by sending in your ballot request and voting in any elections that you may be eligible for in 2026. We recommend reading your ballot carefully and voting the whole ballot.

📣👉All voters abroad are urged to send in a FPCA and to vote the whole ballot they receive. All congressional seats–federal positions–are up for election. The FPCA registration and ballot request form will ensure you are registered as an overseas (UOCAVA) voter, update your voter information, and protect you from voter roll purges.

✅ AVOID INTERNATIONAL POSTAL MAIL DISRUPTIONS.

You can ask to get your ballot by email/online delivery; many states will also allow you to return it electronically — but only if you are registered as an overseas (UOCAVA) voter! Go to www.VotefromAbroad.org!  

✅ RETURNING A BALLOT BY POSTAL MAIL? VOTE A BACKUP BALLOT! 

All voters abroad are urged to vote their ballot promptly and to return it right away. If your state requires that you return a ballot by postal mail, consider also voting a Backup Ballot (the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot or FWAB). The Backup Ballot is available only to overseas voters — think of it as insurance for your vote! If both ballots arrive, only one will be counted.

✅ ELIGIBILITY.

All US citizens abroad who will be 18 years of age or older by the upcoming election can register to vote and request an overseas absentee ballot in the state where they last resided (or where their US citizen parent last resided) by submitting a single streamlined application form, the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). It just takes a few minutes. Get everything you need at www.VotefromAbroad.org!  

🤔 NEED HELP? 

• Visit VotefromAbroad.org, check the FAQ, or use the online chat bubble.
• Trained voter assistance is available for live, online voter help (via Zoom). Click here to make an appointment.
• Email us at: [email protected]

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!

The U.S. State Department recommends, “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.” Vote From Abroad provides all the information, forms, and support help in one place to make voting easy!

📌  Please note that there is NO IN-PERSON VOTING in Austria for U.S. general elections. 📌 

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What's covered 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. Vote the “Back Up Ballot” (FWAB)

9. Confirming your ballot's arrival

10. What to do if you encounter difficulties

11. Getting your "I Voted from Austria" Stickers 

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1. Registering to vote and requesting your ballot

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 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.

The second step is to submit the FPCA absentee ballot request form 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 states require that you submit your completed form by email attachment, fax, or postal mail. State deadlines and submission methods can be found here.

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 screen). Or you can email us at [email protected] 

✅ TIP: Ask to receive your ballot by email/online to receive it as soon as ballots are available, and to be able to vote and return it as quickly as possible.

2. Confirming your request has been accepted  ✅

After submitting the FPCA form, you may hear back from your local election office within a few days. If not, you can contact them to confirm that they have received your form and that you will receive a 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?"

✅ TIP: Be sure to check your SPAM/JUNK email folder for email from your local election office.

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. 

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

You don't need to wait for ballots to arrive 45 days in advance. If you're worried your ballot won't arrive in time for you to return it by the deadline, 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! 

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 - Choose your state
• 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. Always read the instructions that came with your ballot carefully! Find your state's ballot return methods here.

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

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

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:  

🚨CAUTION: Austria is currently experiencing postal system delays to the US due to tax increases on parcel mail. We currently do NOT recommend sending regular mail with the postal system. Check with your post office on current conditions. 

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

You should – and some states require you – to ask for a postmark or date stamp (Zeitstempel) to be placed on the outer envelope. Find out your state's requirements here. Always follow the instructions that came with your ballot carefully!

Using a tracking number can slow down delivery – it's better to confirm receipt by looking on your state's website, or looking up your local election officer's contact details here.

Do not send your ballot back with a signature required (that is, Eingeschrieben), as Local Election Officers will not sign for it. 

Do make sure to use Austrian stamps! The return mail postage on the ballot envelope only works inside the US.  

📌 All voters are urged to vote and return their ballot as soon as possible, by the fastest method allowed by their state.📌

➡ The U.S. Embassy/Consulate diplomatic pouch: The U.S. Consulate in Austria requests that ballots sent by the diplomatic post be dropped off no later than four weeks before the ballot due date. The embassy recommends returning your ballot no later than 2 October. 

✅ TIP: Election mail sent via the diplomatic mail service must either have US postage affixed, or be in a US-postage paid envelope (usually provided with your ballot). To download a US-postage paid election mail envelope template, see here.

Please be aware that using the diplomatic pouch is very slow. It can take weeks for your ballot to reach its final destination. Use a Back-up Ballot to make the diplomatic pouch deadline if your regular ballot hasn’t arrived. Find out more here.

The U.S. Consulate address in Austria is: 

U.S. Consulate Vienna
Parkring 12a (Marriott hotel building)
1010 Vienna, Austria
Hours: Weekdays between 8am and 4pm. (Closed U.S. and Austrian holidays)
Nearest metro stops: Weihburgasse (Tram 2), Stadtpark (U4), Stubentor (U3)

More information is on the website  

🚨CAUTION: US Embassies and Consulates are NOT polling places. Same-day voting is not available outside the United States.

➡ Courier Service:

If your state requires postal mail ballot return, the quickest option is to use a courier service like DHL, Federal Express, etc.

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! Do not wait! You should – and some states require you – ask for a postmark or date stamp (Zeitstempel) to be placed on the outer envelope. Follow the instructions that came with your ballot.

*We do not recommend booking or paying online with any courier service. You will not receive a postmark if you book or pay online.

🚨CAUTION: Courier services cannot send to a P.O. Box! Be sure to confirm a street address with your local election official if a P.O. Box is the return address on your ballot. 

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. Need help? Contact us at: [email protected]. 

8. Vote the “Back Up Ballot” (FWAB)

Especially useful for overseas voters who must return a ballot by postal mail, the Federal Write in Absentee Ballot, or FWAB, is a “backup” ballot which can be voted first while you wait for your regular ballot to arrive, or as additional “insurance” if you are concerned about your regular ballot being returned in time, given the challenges of international mail. By law, if both ballots are received, only one will be counted. 

✅ TIP: If the offices and candidates aren’t pre-filled on the website, just type in the office and the name of the candidate you wish to vote for in the next column. If you don’t know or aren’t sure of the candidate name, you can also just write their political party. Example: “Governor – Democrat”

✅ TIP: the Backup Ballot can also be used to vote on ballot initiatives. Write in the proposition number, then whether you support it. Example: “Prop. 50 — Yes”

To vote a Backup Ballot, go here: www.fvap.gov/fwab. Follow the prompts to fill out the required information and your choices on the ballot itself. To read more about how to vote a Backup Ballot, go here: https://www.VoteFromAbroad.org/faqs/BB1

9. 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.

10. 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]

11. Get your "I Voted from Austria" sticker

Thank you for voting!  If you would like to print an “I Voted from Austria” sticker go here.