Voting as a US expat can be incredibly confusing. Can we vote? Does it open us up to additional taxes? When do I need to register? The task itself can feel so daunting, that many expats make excuses and don’t vote at all. But not being sure about how to vote as a US expat is no excuse for letting others choose who leads our country.
No matter your political opinion, if you don’t vote, you let others choose for you. It’s essential that you register, submit your ballot, and make your voice heard. So how does it work?
Below you’ll find some helpful information for how to vote as a US expat. Believe it or not, it’s not terribly hard. Just remember to submit your registration to vote abroad in a federal election by August 1st to ensure you get in on time.
Xx, Kelsey
How to Vote Abroad
REGISTER & REQUEST A BALLOT
Registering to vote as a US expat can feel daunting. But it just takes a simple form. Just head here. Overseas Vote will take you through all the details and auto-fills the form. It will even spit it out already addressed to your voting office. All you have to do is sign (make sure you sign!!), add postage and drop in the mail.
The recommendation is to send by August 1st to ensure the form arrives in time. Don’t procrastinate, especially overseas where the mail can take extra long.
Note: Registering to vote in a federal election should not affect your tax status even though you have to register in your last state of residence. If you’re concerned about state taxes, it’s best to consult a US tax professional.
DOUBLE CHECK YOU’RE REGISTERED
Don’t just assume your form was received and you’ve been registered. Overseas Vote will give you contact information for your local voting office. Check with them to ensure that your registration was received and that they’ll send you a ballot. Just takes a quick email. Or you can check through your state’s voter lookup.
Make sure you check on your registration with plenty of time prior to the federal election. You can check the dates for your state here.
For example: My registration needs to be received by October 14th. Knowing the mail situation right now, it could take a month or two to arrive. I’ll check it’s been received by September 14th to determine if I need to send again before the deadline.
RECEIVE & COMPLETE YOUR BALLOT
Ballots for federal elections should be sent out 45 days prior to the election. If you selected to receive your ballot electronically (as I recommend), then you’ll receive one by email.
If you don’t receive anything by 30 days before the election. You can fill out the Federal Write-In Ballot.
Some states will allow electronic submission of your ballot and some will not. Mine requires it to be mailed in. Fill out your ballot and add sufficient postage. You can send your ballot by international mail, professional courier service, or by the US Embassy diplomatic pouch. Check your specific embassy to see if they allow this.
You can find the instructions for the Amsterdam Consulate diplomatic pouch here. Make sure you have sufficient US postage, as the ballots will be mailed from a sorting center in the US. Also, give yourself 3-4 weeks prior to the ballot deadline since the pouch takes a while.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Candidate Research – This helpful tool will pull up all US Congressional candidates for your voting address
FVAP Helpful Links – This extensive list has links to multiple resources such as voter registration verification by state, overseas citizen group websites, and election organization websites.
US Embassy Netherlands – Additional details for voting from the Netherlands, including how to access the diplomatic pouch for mailing in your ballot.
Don’t forget your vote DOES count!
Seriously the most helpful guide. Thank you SO much for putting this together ❤️