DA State Teams Pacific Northwest State Team

PNW Voting Information

PACIFIC NORTHWEST VOTING & INFORMATION

If your questions aren’t answered below, please email us directly at [email protected].

For information on who to vote for, see our Candidate Guide or our News Page.

ON THIS PAGE:

  1. WHEN TO EXPECT YOUR BALLOT

  2. STATE SPECIFIC INFORMATION

    • ALASKA

    • IDAHO

    • OREGON

    • WASHINGTON

  3. GENERAL PACIFIC NORTHWEST VOTING INFORMATION

1. WHEN TO EXPECT YOUR BALLOT

 

When should my overseas ballot arrive?

States must start sending out overseas ballots 45 days before an upcoming federal election to anyone with a ballot request on file. In 2024, overseas ballots will start going out by September 21st. Be sure to check your email inboxes carefully. Ballots are not always clearly marked and can end up in secondary inboxes or your spam folder.

Your ballot is your vote — when you get it, be sure to fill it out and return it right away. You don’t want your ballot to be rejected because you missed the deadline. If any problems occur, you also want to make sure you have time to correct them.

What if I haven’t requested my ballot yet?

If you send in your ballot request form (the Federal Post Card Application, or FPCA) after ballots have already started going out, then your state must send out your ballot within a few days of approving your FPCA form. Just don’t miss your registration/request deadlines!

You can check your state page for those here. Request your overseas ballot on Vote From Abroad.

How do I return my ballot?

Below you will find state-specific information about what methods of ballot return are available to you and relevant deadlines, as well as general information about how to use different methods of ballot return and what to do if your ballot has not arrived as expected.

 

2. STATE SPECIFIC INFORMATION

ALASKA

How to send: Mail or Fax*

Deadlines: 

  • Fax: Received by Nov. 5, 2024
  • Mail from inside the U.S.: Postmarked by Nov. 5, received by Nov. 15
  • Mail from outside the U.S.: Postmarked by Nov. 5, received by Nov. 20

Special instructions:

  • *Alaska voters may return their ballot by fax only if the voter requested their ballot be sent to them by Email/Online or Fax.  See our News post, How to Fax Back your Ballot!
  • Alaska ballot requires the signature of a witness who is at least 18 years old.

 

IDAHO

How to send: Mail

Deadlines: Received by Nov 5, 2024, 8:00 PM 

 

OREGON

How to send: Email or Fax or Mail*

Deadlines: 

  • Email or Fax: Received by Nov. 5, 2024, 8:00 PM.  See our News post, How to Fax Back your Ballot!
  • Mail with U.S. Mail postmark: Postmarked by Nov. 5, received by Nov. 12

Special instructions:

  • *If the ballot is returned by mail, it must have a US Mail postmark. This requires using US Military Mail or the US Embassy diplomatic pouch. Note that the embassy/consulate often has extremely limited periods when they’ll accept ballots. Many will not accept ballots less than a month before an election.

 

WASHINGTON

How to send: Email or Fax or Mail

Deadlines: 

  • Email or Fax: Received by Nov. 5, 2024, 8:00 PM.  See our News post, How to Fax Back your Ballot!
  • Mail: Signed by Nov. 5, received by Nov. 25

3. GENERAL PACIFIC NORTHWEST VOTING INFORMATION

How can I contact my Local Election Official?

You can find contact information at www.VoteFromAbroad.org/states. Scroll down to “Find Your Election Office.” Alaska voters only have one office listed.

 

I haven’t received my ballot yet!

If it is less than 45 days before the election and you have still not received your ballot, please call your Local Election Office (LEO) and ask where your ballot is. If you elected to receive your ballot by email, please check your spam folder. If it is coming to you by mail, that could be the reason it is taking a while, but better to confirm that with your LEO. 

All four Pacific Northwest states also have websites you can use to track your ballot; however, the website information may not be as up-to-date as information directly from your LEO.

If you can’t get onto your state website, it might be geoblocked (blocking international IP addresses). For information on how to use a VPN, visit: “How do I use a VPN to access US websites that are blocked from my location?”

 

Where can I find instructions for the different methods of ballot return (fax, mail, etc)?

Each state has its own rules and procedures that you must follow to ensure your vote is deemed valid. Your ballot will contain the instructions and deadlines specific to your voting state. Please be sure to read and follow the instructions completely! 

Vote From Abroad also has many FAQs about ballot return that may be helpful, including:

If you have any questions, contact your Local Election Official for clarification — email is usually best so you will have a written record. Don’t make guesses; if your ballot is rejected, you may not get a chance to fix it.

 

Did my ballot get counted?

After you send in your voted ballot, be sure to verify that it was received and counted! You can use your state’s ballot tracker website and/or contact your Local Election Official (LEO) directly for confirmation. 

If you find that your ballot was rejected, some states allow voters to "cure" the problem, such as sending in a missing signature. But even when "curing" is available, the deadlines are tight. It's important to send in your ballot as early as you can and check the status.

 

What if I need more help?

You can always send an email to [email protected] to get assistance from experienced Voting Assistance Officers. Vote From Abroad also offers live one on one assistance by Zoom during drop-in hours or by appointment: www.votefromabroad.org/voter-support