2024 is a presidential election year — but not only that. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 33 of the 100 Senate seats, and the governors' mansions of 11 states and two territories are on the ballot in November along with a large fraction of the over 500,000 local elected officials. 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 5, 2024, you have the right to vote from abroad in the November 2024 general election.

As a U.S. citizen, whether you are living, working, or traveling overseas, you can register to vote and request your ballot 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. You have the right to vote!

The U.S. State Department recommends that “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 New Zealand for the November election! 📌

✭ ✭ ✭ In 2024, the following states must mail in the ballot by postal mail. Request your ballot ASAP! Vote as soon as you get your ballot, and don't wait to return your ballot! 

Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey,* New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont,  Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

* New Jersey voters may return a ballot by email/fax but must also send in the ballot by postal mail. 

Go to www.votefromabroad.org/states for specific details and to confirm, as state regulations can change.

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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
3. Receiving your ballot
4. Oct 1 and the ballot hasn’t arrived? 
5. Voting your ballot
6. Returning your ballot
7. Checking twice to prevent mistakes
8. Confirming your ballot's arrival
9. What to do if you encounter difficulties

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1. Registering to vote and requesting your ballot for the 2024 elections

Starting January 1, 2024, go to votefromabroad.org to fill out your Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) absentee ballot request — it takes 5-10 minutes! 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 fill out an FPCA 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 follow these steps 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. 

Submit the FPCA to your local election office in the United States. 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 while filling out your request form, email [email protected]. You can also type your question in the chatbox on the website Vote From Abroad (the red circle in the bottom right-hand corner of each screen). Or visit the FAQ section on the website.

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 21, 2024 for the general election; the date varies by state for the primary elections.

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 21. 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 their contact info here) and confirm they’ve sent your ballot to you. 

If you haven’t received your ballot by October 1 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 online. It’s important to vote in every race on your ballot. State and local races are critical in 2024! 

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 2024”
• Google the candidate's name to find their campaign website

6. Returning 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! 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 New Zealand. Please allow plenty of time to get your ballot back to the USA!

Check return times for regular mail services as well as private courier services before using.

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:  

If your state requires postal mail ballot return, you can use international mail from the NZ Post. It is a reliable postal service, but please remember mail service in both NZ and the US can be slow and so you should send your ballot as soon as possible! 

We do not recommend spending the extra money for a tracking number when sending the envelope – it’s better to confirm receipt by looking on your state’s website, or looking up your local election officer's contact details here. Do NOT send it with a signature required as local elections officers will not sign for it. 

Ask for a postmark or date stamp to be placed on the outer envelope. Some states require this, and it is a good practice in general. Find out your state’s requirements here. 

➡ Courier Service:

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

Call or email your local election office in the United States to check out the best address to use, and then check out courier solutions. If you use DHL, please note they do not directly deliver to some addresses in the USA, but will get your ballot package to the US and then use US Postal Service to deliver it from there.  So do check if that's the case for your local election office, and allow for plenty of time.

Even with expedited courier services, 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 use a mail service if you cannot return your ballot electronically 📌

➡ The U.S. Embassy/Consulate diplomatic pouch: 

It is possible to return your ballot by using the diplomatic pouch mail service at the U.S. Consulate in Auckland, and you can mail or drop-off your ballot. The U.S. Embassy in Wellington also has a drop-box; you'll need to ask the guards for permission to drop off your ballot. Using this process takes at least 4 weeks for your ballot to reach its destination, so please be aware of this.  If you are keen to use the diplomatic pouch and would like some assistance, please email [email protected]. If you do choose to use the diplomatic pouch mail service, we recommend that you mail or drop off your envelope no later than October 1. 

For the diplomatic pouch mail service, you will need U.S. postage on the ballot envelope, as it will be delivered into the U.S. mail system after transportation to the US by the diplomatic service. You can use a U.S. postage paid return envelope (sometimes provided with your ballot), or an envelope bearing sufficient U.S. postage. You can download a free U.S. postage-paid ballot return envelope template at FVAP.gov.

Address for ballot drop-off/mailing/couriering in Auckland: U.S. Consulate General Auckland 3rd Floor, 23 Customs St. East, Auckland CBD 1010.
*If you mail or courier your ballot to the Auckland Consulate, you need to put your ballot in an outside envelope with the Consulate address on it; write "Attention Voting Officer" on your outside envelope.

Address for ballot drop-off in Wellington: U.S. Embassy, 29 Fitzherbert Terr., Thorndon, Wellington 6011.

Please see the U.S. Embassy website for more information. 

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. 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 officer'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 can be confusing — that's why we're here to help! Send us an email at [email protected]. 

You can also type your question in the chatbox on the website Vote From Abroad (the red circle in the bottom right-hand corner of each screen). Or visit the FAQ section on the website.

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. Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon-4pm EDT and Sundays from 11am-3pm EDT. Link to join is here: https://qrco.de/bbh0zg Please share widely!

Thank you for voting from New Zealand!