Step 1:
If you have not already registered and/or requested your ballot from your Local Election Office, please go to VoteFromAbroad.org and do so now, and please request to receive your ballot via email! This is vital. Local Election Offices (LEO) in the USA are swamped with requests and therefore they may need extra time this year to process your request. Plus, receiving mail in Switzerland from the USA has been delayed for months and therefore requesting a ballot via regular mail may mean that you don’t receive it until AFTER the election! While we can help those who do not receive their ballots, the law requires that every state allows overseas voters to request and receive their ballot via email, and all states need to send the email ballots by September 20th, so then you will have time to send ballots back via the Swiss Post (for states which require mail in ballots). If you need further assistance, please contact the Vote From Abroad Help Desk at [email protected].
And, we have you covered for a quick reference guide to the requirements in your state! See our handy dandy reference guide by clicking here to see all of the information for your voting state.
If you need help with VoteFromAbroad.org, there will be 24-hour Zoom Help Desks available every Sunday starting on July 19th! See this post for more details.
Step 2:
Mark your calendars for September 20th. That is 45 days before election day, and all states are required by law to send out email ballots by that date. If you don’t receive your email ballot on that date, check your spam folder. And if you still can’t find it by September 21st (Monday when the offices are open in the USA) then it is time to call your LEO and ask for the status of your ballot.
Step 3:
After receiving your ballot, vote online or via printing/marking (see state requirements) and follow the instructions for how to return your ballot. Please make sure to pay attention to the date by which you have to return your ballot and also the method (email, fax, post/mail).
Don’t wait until November.
Did you know that almost 20% of expat ballots were not counted in 2016 because they had some type of error? The most common error was not returning the ballot on time.
For the most recent information on FAQs about your 2020 ballot, please visit this post.
Congratulations on being prepared for voting in 2020!