Did you know that U.S. citizens abroad, no matter how long they have been abroad, have the right to vote in U.S. federal elections? Even if you have never lived in the U.S., but are a U.S. citizen, you can vote.
This year, 2024, is a major election year and, while it might seem too early to be thinking about registering to vote—after all, there are still eight months until the General Election of November 5—it is never too early to get the process of registering and requesting your ballot started, so that you can be sure that your vote as a U.S. citizen gets counted. Even if you think that you have already registered in the past, some states periodically purge their inactive voter rolls and many states require that voters living abroad request their ballot every year.
How to vote in the US elections from abroad
There are several ways to register and request your ballot while living abroad. Some of you may be in touch with your Local Election Official (LEO, in the jargon of politics) back in your home state and register and/or request an Absentee Ballot.
A better way, however, would be to use Votefromabroad.org, a non-partisan platform developed by Democrats Abroad, but designed to help all U.S. citizens, regardless of their party preferences, to register as a Voter Abroad and request their ballot in one easy step. The platform is easy to use. Simply scroll down to your home state and follow the instructions for that state. Rules, regulations and important dates for each state are also provided. Should you encounter any problems, VFA has a team of dedicated volunteers ready to help. By using this platform, you are automatically identified in your home district as a voter from abroad, not simply as an absentee voter. This distinction is critical.
As a voter abroad, your vote is protected in a number of ways thanks to two important pieces of legislation: UOCAVA and the MOVE Act. These acts first require that your LEO sends you your ballot via email, if you request, 45 days prior to the election. (This year, this would be around September 21.) A simple absentee ballot does not necessarily ensure this for you. As some states still require a snail mail return of your voted ballot, 45 days gives you much more time to get that back for your vote to be counted. Second, as an overseas voter, some states will give you more time to get your ballot back. Finally, a voter from abroad is also given the possibility of a backup ballot, known as a FWAB (Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot), in case your original ballot does not arrive in time.
So, please, take the time now to register and request your ballot by going to www.votefromabroad.org. Alternatively, Vote from Abroad will be having several in-person registration events in Florence in the coming months. If you have any questions, you can contact votefromabroad.italy.central@gmail.com.
