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Here’s everything you need to know to vote in the 2022 Midterms from Guatemala

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 up for grabs in November. U.S. citizens have the right to vote in primary and general elections, no matter where in the world they live! If you're a U.S. citizen, dual-national, or will be 18 on November 8, 2022, you have the right to vote from abroad in US elections — including in the November 2022 midterm elections.

To register to vote from abroad you must submit 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.”

Here is an overview of everything you need to know to vote from abroad:

1. Registering and/or requesting your overseas absentee ballot for the 2022 midterm elections

The first step is to request your ballot to vote from abroad. Go to votefromabroad.org to fill out your Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) absentee ballot request — it takes 5-10 minutes! You must 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 www.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're not registered to vote, the FPCA also serves as a voter registration form. Choose the option to receive ballots by email.

You should do this every 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. If it’s your first time voting from abroad, the FPCA registers you as an overseas absentee voter because the ballots of US citizens voting from abroad have special protections and are different from the standard absentee ballot.

If you have any questions while filling out your FPCA 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 the screen). Or you can email us at [email protected]

2. Confirming your request has been accepted ☑️

After submitting your FPCA absentee ballot request, 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 FPCA 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. Guatemala has non-existent postal mail service, so you can send in a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) as a Backup Ballot right NOW. All details about the Backup Ballot can be found here. If you do receive your official ballot after voting and sending in a FWAB, vote the official ballot, too. Your Local Election Office will count only one ballot, be it the FWAB or the official if arrives in time.

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 www.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 FWAB as 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!

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 Guatemala

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: The Guatemala postal service, though open for business, is extremely unreliable for sending mail out of the country.  If your state requires you to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials by mail, you should use an international professional courier service such as DHL, or return your voted ballot through the U.S. Embassy Guatemala’s diplomatic pouch.  The diplomatic pouch provides free mail service from embassies and consulates to a U.S. sorting facility.  You will need to place your ballots in postage paid return envelopes (which usually come with your ballot or you can download the envelope here) or in envelopes bearing sufficient U.S. postage, in order for them to be delivered to the proper local election authorities.

(Remember! Only consider using any mail service if you cannot return your ballot electronically.) 

The U.S. Embassy/Consulate diplomatic pouch:  If using the diplomatic pouch, voting materials can be delivered to the U.S. Embassy through Cargo Expreso or Guatex or brought directly in person to the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City – mailing gate, which is located at 7th Street “A” and 1st Avenue in Zone 10. The hours of acceptance are from 08:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m. from Monday to Thursday and 8:00am to 12:00pm on Fridays. Normal transit time from Guatemala to the United States is approximately two to four weeks.  All overseas U.S. citizens are advised to submit their forms and ballots accordingly. 

Please be aware that using the diplomatic pouch does not mean your ballot will arrive faster. It can take up to four weeks for the mail 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.

(Remember! Only consider using any mail service mail if you cannot return your ballot electronically.)

Courier Service:

If your state requires postal mail ballot return, the quickest option is to use a courier service.

DA Guatemala has arranged with DHL in Antigua a discount of %12 for ballots to be returned to the U.S. The normal fee is Q400 for a single envelope to the United States. For the 2022 midterms, DHL Antigua will charge clients sending ballot materials Q350.

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 to be placed on the outer envelope. Find out your state’s requirements here. We do not recommend booking or paying online with any courier service. You will not receive a postmark if you book or pay online.

(Remember! Only consider using any 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.

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 from Guatemala can sometimes be confusing — that's why we're here to help! Send us an email at  [email protected] or contact Kee Evans at: [email protected]

10. Get your "I Voted from Guatemala" sticker

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

Minutes of Annual General Meeting 2022

Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 11:00am MDT via Zoom

• Secretary Phyllis MacCartney confirmed that quorum was met with 22 members on line and 17 proxies
• Meeting called to order 11:08
• Secretary Phyllis MacCartney read the summary of the 2021 AGM minutes. The March 2022 membership total count = 543.

Democrats Abroad Guatemala Executive Committee 2021-2023 Elected Officers

• Chair: Kee Evans
• Vice Chair: John Chudy
• Secretary: Phyllis MacCartney
• Treasurer: Vacant
• Counsel: Vacant
• Member at Large: Karl Holzwarth
• Member-at-Large: Mary Lou Ridinger

            Appointees

• MediaContact & Communications Standing Committee Chair: Vacant
• Issues/Special Events Standing Committee Chair: Vacant
• Membership/Voter Registration Standing Committee Chair: Vacant
• Fundraising Standing Committee Chair: Vacant
• Guatemala City MeetUp Chair: Vacant
• Lake Atitlan MeetUp Chair: Vacant
• Occidente MeetUp Chair: Rachel Shenyo
• Huehuetenango MeetUp Chair: Johnny Figueroa-Month

Treasurer’s Report:

Three Year Comparison         2019-20                      2020-21                      2021-22

Beginning Balance                 4,713                           6,408                           8,816

Income                                   6,917                           6,147                           8

Expenses                                5,222                           3,729                           949

Income/Loss                           1,695                           2,418                           (941)

Ending Balance                      6,408                           8,826                           7,875

The preceding year (March 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022

Balance Q8,816, Income Q8 Expenses Q941 Bank Fees and GOTV related.

Ending Balance Q7,875 Income Analysis

• Donations/Income
• Tee Shirts Q0
• Mugs and Other items Q0
• Direct Mail Q0
• Other Q8
• Total Q8

Unanimously approved             

MeetUp Chairs’ Reports

            Occidente Region, Rachel Shenyo,  Due to Covid restrictions, no events were held in                                2021 or 2022 year to date. If Covid restrictions continue to lift, Rachael plans to hold                                monthly GOTV events.

            Huehuetenango Region, Johnny Figeroa-Month, still working on ways to reach people.                             Covid restrictions have prevented GOTV events. John Chudy plans to go to                                   Huehuetenango later in the year to assist with a GOTV event.

Chair’s Report:

• Members elected in 2021 were Kee Evans, Chair; John Chudy, Vice Chair; Phyllis MacCartney, Secretary; Vincent D’Agati, Treasurer; Juan Pablo Aris, Counsel; Karl Holzwarth, Member at Large and Mary Lou Ridinger, Member at Large.
• Blaine Stokes was appointed as Counsel to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Juan Pablo Aris. Blaine served from September 2021 through February 2022; Special thanks and recognition to Blaine, and Juan Pablo Aris who served as Counsel from 2019 - 2021.
• Special thanks and recognition to Vincent D’Agati who served as Treasurer from 2020 to February of 2022.
• 2021 DPCA Global Meeting May 14 -16 & August 21-22 Newly elected officers were: Candice Kerestan. Chair; Art Shankler, Vice Chair; Beth Landry, Secretary; Quyen Nguyen, Treasurer; Orlando Vidal, Counsel; Steve Nardi, RVC Americas; Nicholas Gordon, RVC, Asia Pacific; Jennifer Rakow-Stepper, RVC, EMEA. Quyen Nguyen has since resigned her position, and Cory Lemke is serving as Acting Treasurer.
• Resolutions Adopted Deferred or Withdrawn May 14-16. 27 Resolutions submitted. 12 were adopted, 1 was withdrawn, 14 were deferred to a later meeting. Resolutions on August 13 were chosen, 2 were adopted, 1 was withdrawn, 2 were postponed indefinitely, 6 were not considered during the meeting. DAGT submitted four Resolutions - one was approved, one was withdrawn, two were not considered because of time constraints.
• The DCPA Global Meeting for 2022 will take place May 20-22, virtually on WebEx.
• There are now 10 DA Caucuses. Two recently formed Caucuses are the Global Senior Caucus and Global Disability Caucus.. Everyone is encouraged to join one or more Caucus.
• Due to Covid-19 no in-person events were held between March 14, 2020 and March 5, 2022
• Events 2021 - 2022
• CENTRAL AMERICAN IMMIGRATION 2021 May 27, 2021 Co-Sponsored with DA El Salvador Zoom
• OUR COMMON PURPOSE September 23, 23, 2021 Zoom
• Voter Registration/FPCA March 5, 2022 @ Enlaces in Antigua
• Voter Registration/FPCA April 2, 2022 Tentative in Antigua
• Stay Informed and Get Involved: Join your state Democratic Party and the DNC. Every state has a Facebook State Group. Join and keep informed about what is going on in your state from the other DA members around the world. The easiest way to find the groups is to go to Facebook and search for the group. For example, Coloradans Abroad or New Mexicans Abroad.
• DAGT has three Facebook Pages, the DA Latino Page, the DA Guatemala Page and the DA Guatemala Group Page. On the group page we post items of interest to DAGT members. One must be a member of DAGT to join this group page. The Latino and DA page are public so news specific to DA is not posted.
• 2022 Elections, there are 36 gubernatorial seats on the ballot in 2022. A total of 469 seats in the US Congress (34 Senate seats and all 435 House of Representative seats).
• Midterm Elections are coming up faster than we think. Request your Overseas Absentee Ballot/FPCA now.

Upcoming Activities and Events for 2022

• Everyone should request their Overseas Absentee ballot and complete their FPCA. VotefromAbroad.org absentee ballots for US Citizens.
• In-person registration events will be held monthly in Antigua and later in the year in Huehuetenango and Xela.
• US Labor Day is September 5, 2022, DAGT is hoping to have a picnic
• Everything is Covid dependent

What’s Happening in Guatemala?

• A graph was presented showing the percentage of members in age groups in the Americas Region and in Guatemala. Most of DAGT’s members are in the 70 - 79 years age group. Of our 543 members, 160 are in this group. More members are needed across all age groups.
• Volunteers Opportunities

            CallHub

            GOTV Coordinator

            Events Coordinator

            Communications/Media Coordinator

            Fundraising Coordinator

            Membership Coordinator

            Meet-Up Coordinators for Guatemala City and Lake Atitlan

• Americas Region-monthly meeting on Zoom. Country committees include Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil. the Caribbean Islands and Guyana.The regional Vice Chair is Steve Nardi, DA Canada.
• DAGT Executive Committee meetings are held monthly.

Amendments to the Bylaws In Article V-V11, Amendments to the bylaws change “Chairperson” to Chair or Vice Chair. Where “He/She occurs in Articles 111, V1, X111, X1V, the gender neutral Their/They are used.

Article V The officers of the organization shall be the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Counsel To the Committee. The Vice Chair shal be of the opposite sex for the Chair. For the purposes of theses Bylaws the term “sex” is defined as male, female, intersex, non-binary or any other classification of sex or gender that is legally recognized by any state or federal jurisdiction within the United States of America. 

 A motion was made and seconded to approve the changes to the DAGT Bylaws, and  passed unanimously.

Nominations and Election Committee Chair, Thea Hocker, announced there were no nominations for the position of Counsel, and no nominations for the position of Treasurer. Nominations were called from the floor, there were none for either position.

Motion: Given that no nominations for Treasurer and Counsel vacancies were presented (for the balance of the 2021-2023 term) at the Annual General Meeting on March 19, 2022, move that the Chair continue to seek nominations from the general membership via email, to be followed by special online elections for each vacancy as and when candidates are identified.

Motion passed unanimously.

Guest Speaker, Robert Levitt, DA Taxation Task Force Robert gave an introduction to what the Taxation Task Force is, its goals, its accomplishments and how it is working to eliminate tax code requirements that discriminate against US Citizens living abroad. A short question and answer session followed the presentation.

Ways to financially support DA and DAGT

• Become a sustaining donor to Democrats Abroad. Give monthly, quarterly, or annually or give a one-time donation at democratsabroad.org/donate
• Give directly to DAGT, all donations stay with DAGT. democratsabroad.org/donate_gt

There was no further discussion and the meeting was adjourned.

Adjournment 1:01 pm

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF DEMOCRATS ABROAD GUATEMALA

Saturday, March 20, 2021 Via Zoom

Three Resolutions to be presented to the DPCA by DA Guatemala (1) Resolution on Central American Immigration in 2021, (2) RESOLUTION ON POLARIZATION OF THE ELECTORATE and (3) RESOLUTION ON INSURRECTION

Read each resolution below

DAGT's Executive Committee met on the 16th of December. Minutes of what was discussed and decided are available by clicking on the link below.

On Saturday December 12, 2020, Democrats Abroad Guatemala convened an online Zoom gathering to celebrate the Biden-Harris 2020 election victory. Most of the program centered on the activities and emotions related to the victory itself and how it was achieved as a team effort among Democrats, both domestically and overseas. We also spent time discussing the challenge to democracy the Trump administration presented over the past four years and during the current transition, and for anti-democratic tendencies going forward. Vincent D’Agati presented a summary of Democracy to Dictatorship written by James Wiggins. A fuller explanation of that material is available in the first two links below. Also, we spent some time sharing thoughts and perceptions on the trials and tribulations of the year 2020. For that segment, Rachael Shenyo read a poem, which is also available in the third link below.

Click on the link to view and read the minutes of the Novmeber 20, 2020 Executive Committee meeting

http://www.scribd.com/document/488007751/DAGT-Excom-20November-2020-Mtg-Minutes-pdf

Georgia Senate Runoff Elections

A checklist for assisting overseas voters in requesting, receiving, and voting and returning their ballots successfully.

http://www.scribd.com/document/481997657/DAGT-Voter-Registration-and-Voting?secret_password=h2T3i73HOeIvAVKdoHtZ

http://www.scribd.com/document/478805384/DAGT-Excom-23September2020-Mtg-Minutes

SEND YOUR BALLOT TO THE US EMBASSY VIA CARGO EXPRESO OR GUATEX

•    Agency locations are listed below by clicking on the link. The agency will have the address of the US Embassy in Guatemala City, or use this one: US Embassy, Guatemala City, drop off at the screening booth located at the corner of 7 Street “A” and 1 Avenue in Zone 10, between the hours of 07:00 a.m. to 02:00 p.m. from Monday to Thursday.

I am seeking the office of DNC for the Americas Region of Democrats Abroad. I am the founder of Democrats Abroad Guatemala in 2006-7, and past vice chair and current chair and former Regional Vice Chair for the Americas (2010 to 2013). I support Joe Biden in this year’s race for the Democratic nomination because he has the experience and broad voter support needed to win in November. One goal is achieving universal health care, and Joe’s approach of working within our tradition of employer-sponsored private health insurance while building outward toward government supported options for the uninsured and underinsured offers the best path to wide voter appeal. Also, the negative approach the current administration has taken toward immigration from Central America, an approach that has become dangerous under the current pandemic, is concerning and needs more attention drawn to it. Thank you for your support

Read the full minutes of the Annual General Meeting of 2018 here:

https://www.scribd.com/document/402887425/DAGT-2018-Annual-Meeting-Minutes

The House continues to look positive for Democrats, while in the Senate, the Republicans may actually increase their number by two, unless Democratic voters turn out in large numbers

https://www.scribd.com/document/388527779/2018-Midterm-Forecast-NEW-0001

Please find attached the minutes from the July 27^th meeting of the Democrats Abroad Guatemala Executive Committee. Send any questions or comments by email to: [email protected]. To view the document, please click on the following link. Technical difficulties prevent embedding the document in this page:

The next Executive Committee meeting is scheduled for September 12^th, via Skype only, due to ongoing travel of several members. Look for the agenda at the following link. To view the document, please click on the following link. Technical difficulties prevent embedding the document in this page:

Please visit the website/GT page at regular intervals to see news items of interest and updates on Democrats Abroad Guatemala events and activities.

Thank you

John Chudy, Chair

Democrats Abroad Guatemala

Highlight and click on this link to this fascinating and informative report on the recent of history of wages in the United States. 

https://www.scribd.com/document/360807726/13-FActs-About-Wage-Growth-100317