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 3, 2026, you have the right to vote from abroad in US elections — including in the November 2026 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!
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 Belgium for the November election! 📌
✭ ✭ ✭ In 2026, voters in the states listed below must mail in their ballot.
Don't wait to return your ballot!
You can double your chances of your ballot arriving on time by submitting a back-up ballot NOW✭ ✭ ✭
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
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KEY POINTS FOR VOTING
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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
4. Oct 1 and the ballot hasn’t arrived?
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 Belgium" Stickers
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1. Registering to vote and requesting your ballot for the 2026 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 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 10-15 minutes! If you're not registered to vote, the FPCA also serves as a voter registration form. In Section 5, be sure to 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 US. 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 about 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]
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Watch a video on how to use www.votefromabroad.org in English. |
2. Confirming your 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 19, 2026
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 19. 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 (find contact details 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 September 25 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 2026!
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:
- Look up your county's local Democratic Party
- Use the Blue Voter Guide
- Go to the League of Women Voters personalized ballot service
- Go to Ballotpedia - Example: google “Ballotpedia Arizona elections 2026”
- Search on 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 for options from Belgium.
Connecticut Voters: If you submitted your FPCA to your election office by email, be sure to include the original signature document in the outer envelop when sending your ballot. If they have not received the original signature document at some point during the year, your ballot will not be counted.
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. Also, if you submitted your FPCA to your New York election office by email, be sure to include the original signature document in the outer envelop when sending your ballot. If they have not received the original signature document at some point during the calendar year, your ballot will not be counted.
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Need help scanning your ballot? Watch this video on how to scan using your smartphone. If you don't have a scanning app on your phone, you can use Adobe Scan mobile app for iPhone & Android |
Options for returning your ballot by mail
If your state requires you to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials by mail, you can do so through international mail, professional courier service, or through U.S. Each option is described below.
➡ International Postal Service:
If your state requires postal mail ballot return, one option is to use express international mail from the Belgian Postal Service. Please remember mail service can be slow in the US, so send your ballot as soon as possible!
You should – and some states require you – to ask for a postmark or date stamp to be placed on the outer envelope. Find out your state’s requirements here and more information on international mail from Belgium is here.
➡ The U.S. Embassy/Consulate diplomatic pouch: We do not generally recommend using the diplomatic pouch in Belgium. Because mail in the pouch makes several stops before arriving at its final destination, your ballot could take up to six weeks to arrive. We discourage its use unless you have no other alternative. Prior to October, we recommend using international postal service. As of October, we recommend using a private courier if financially feasible.
If you choose to use diplomatic pouch, you will need to place your ballots in a U.S. postage paid return envelopes (usually provided with your ballot) or in envelopes bearing sufficient U.S. postage. You can download a free U.S. postage-paid return envelope template at FVAP.gov.
The U.S. Embassy address in Brussels is:
U.S. Embassy in Brussels
Boulevard du Régent 25 Regentlaan
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday: 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM
(Closed on U.S. and Belgian holidays)
➡ Courier Service:
If your state requires postal mail ballot return, the quickest option is to use a courier service.
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.
In addition, 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 3!
📌 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! (e.g., security envelope, dates, signature, witness signature if required).
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, a one-on-one live voter help is just a Zoom away! Click in to ZoomTheVote, hosted and staffed by experienced VoteFromAbroad voter helpers, from anywhere in the world.
10. Get your "I Voted from Belgium" sticker
Thank you for voting! If you would like to print an “I Voted from Belgium” sticker go here.
