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Expatriate Journal: “Absentee Voting”

U.S. Citizens

Six million U.S. voters reside overseas. Too often, we expatriates have found one excuse or another to justify our not voting. The Federal Voting Assistance Program -- http://www.fvap.gov has now made it so easy for overseas voters that it has become hard to find an excuse for our not voting this year.

And voting this year is especially important for those of us who are from one of the twenty-one so-called battleground states Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin where the winner of the 2004 presidential contest is by no means a foregone conclusion.

The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) is financed by the Department of Defense, although its services are available to civilian as well as military overseas voters. The FVAP has brought lots of information together into one terrific web site where it is presented in an easy-to-understand format. A Frequently Asked Questions page -- http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/faq.html -- is especially useful in orienting the absentee voter in a variety of key areas.

Although voting in the United States is controlled by state and county electoral boards, voter registration and request for absentee ballots are now conducted nationwide through a single form, called a Registration and Absentee Ballot Request - Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). If you are a U.S. citizen 18 years or older and not already registered as an absentee voter, you can do so easily via this form, which is available on the FVAP website or at the American Citizens Services section at the Embassy (hours: 8-12 M-F; tel: 434-4182).

Perhaps the trickiest part of absentee voting is to know where to send the form. The FVAP web site and the American Citizens Services section at the Embassy also provide state-specific information, including the names and addresses of state/county electoral officials where you must send the FPCA. You should then receive your absentee ballot 2-to-6 weeks prior to the November 2nd elections.

The Department of Defense developed a system designed to make it even easier for the overseas voter this year voting via internet. This experiment was quickly canceled last February, however, after a study found that computer hackers would be able to cast deciding votes.

Canadian Citizens

Parliamentary Elections called for June 28

Absentee voting by Canadian citizens 18 years of age and older is facilitated by the Ottawa-based agency, Elections Canada, and by the local Canadian Embassy.

Elections Canada provides two pamphlets: a purple-colored one called “Voting by Canadians Residing Outside Canada” is for overseas residents who wish to register to vote, while a pink-colored pamphlet called “Voting by Canadians away from their Electoral Districts” is specifically for use during a federal election event. Each of these pamphlets contains a form entitled “Application for Registration and Special Ballot.”

These pamphlets can be picked up at the Canadian Embassy anytime and the forms mailed, along with a photocopy of documentation to prove your Canadian citizenship, to Elections Canada. Be sure to mail your applications early, though, to assure that your vote is counted.
--JR

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