The US administration has tentative plans to withdraw from the Universal Postal Union (UPU) treaty mid-October 2019. Should that withdrawal happen, postal mail from abroad back to the US may experience delays and price increases. To make sure you can successfully cast your ballot in your state's elections this year we recommend the following steps:
- Prepare and send in your ballot request form now to your local election office via votefromabroad.org.
- When you fill in your request form, make sure you indicate you choose to receive your ballot by "Email or online".
- Do not choose "Mail".
Ballots for November 5 elections should be available on or around September 21.
- If you have not received your ballot by September 22 reach out to your local election office to find out its status. Find election office contact information at https://www.votefromabroad.org/states.
- Once you received your ballot, we recommend returning your ballot by email or fax if your state allows it.
For those states that do not allow ballot return using email or fax, please vote and mail back your ballot immediately to avoid any disruption in mail service after October 17:-
Kentucky, New Jersey, or Virginia voters: vote immediately and postal mail the ballot back to your local election office this September.
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Mississippi voters should use email or fax to return your voted ballot.
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Louisiana voters: contact your election office for permission to use fax to return your ballot.
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- If you email your ballot, ask for confirmation that your ballot has been received.
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Kentucky, New Jersey, or Virginia voters: vote immediately and postal mail the ballot back to your local election office this September.
Is your vote dependent on the postal service?
Does your state accept elections materials using alternatives to postal mail, such as email, online upload, or fax? Or is postal mail mandated?
I. States restricting transmission to postal mail for
a. Voter Registration (FPCA)
b. Ballot Request (FPCA)
May submit FPCA by email or fax, but must mail form too:
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c. Voted Ballot Return 🗳
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II. States offering electronic options (email, online access, fax) to
a. Deliver Blank Ballot to Voter
Every state will send absentee ballot electronically to voters abroad if preference to receive voting materials by "Email or online" or "Fax" is indicated on Ballot Request form (FPCA).
b. Return Voted Ballot 🗳
- Alabama – return using online upload of ballot if choosing to received voting materials by "Email or online."
- Alaska – return by fax if choosing to received voting materials by "Email or online" or "Fax."
- Arizona
- California – return by fax
- Colorado – vote online at ballotreturn.sos.colorado.gov
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida – return by fax
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Louisiana – return by fax with prior arrangement by LEO
- Kansas
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- Montana – vote online at www.vote4montana.us
- Nebraska – return by email or fax with prior arrangement by LEO
- Nevada
- New Jersey – return by email or fax, but must mail marked ballot too
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma – return by fax
- Oregon
- Rhode Island – check with your election official to return by email or fax
- South Carolina
- Utah
- Washington
- West Virginia