How to Vote in the U.S from Abroad

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Ever wondered how American expats and immigrants can successfully vote from abroad? This episode's guest—an experienced expat voter—takes us through the essential steps and resources available, like the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP). Learn how to navigate the labyrinth of state-specific rules for absentee voting, and get insider tips on ensuring your ballot makes it back to the U.S. on time. From emailing your vote (where allowed) to using consular services for mailing, our guest's firsthand stories illuminate the process and provide practical advice.

Discover the logistical journey your ballot undertakes—from diplomatic pouches to consular mailrooms—and understand why planning ahead is crucial. The episode also explores alternative methods like FedEx for those last-minute submissions. Whether you've been abroad for a year or a decade, this episode is packed with actionable insights to ensure your voice is heard in American elections, no matter where you are in the world. Tune in to stay connected to your civic duty, even from thousands of miles away.

We are incredibly thankful for engagement and stories from our listeners, who have found their own sense of 'home' across the globe. Stay tuned as we continue to share the wisdom and wanderlust of those who've charted their unique international courses. We'd love to hear your comments and questions. Email them to [e-mail]
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Does the consular agency or the consulate or the
embassy, whatever have anyresources for expats or
immigrants who would like tovote?
Absolutely the first place tostart because there are so many
states and all the states havedifferent rules on absentee
voting is you go to and I'mgoing to say it out loud and
then I'll use the acronym,because you know the government

(00:21):
government, we love our acronyms.
It's the federal voting votersassistance program.
So it's f like frank, v likevictor, a like apple, p like
paul dot gov, g o, v likegovernment, fvapgov, and then
you select your state.
Now, if you've lived here for along time, like for me in 20
years, I still vote in the stateof illinois because my very

(00:42):
last address in the us was inillinois.
So, even though I haven't livedthere in 20 years, I still vote
in the state of Illinoisbecause my very last address in
the US was in Illinois.
So, even though I haven't livedthere in 20 years, I still vote
in Illinois technically,because that's the last place I
lived.
So I think in the last electionI don't remember because it was
four years ago I think that Iwas able to email my ballot.
Actually, I'm not 100% sure,but if you cannot email your

(01:03):
ballot, if your state doesn'tallow for that, most of them
have a template which you canprint out to have the postage
paid and as long as you do themath on how long it may take you
, you can bring your postagepaid envelope to the consular
agency or any consulate or theembassy.
We can receive your ballot foryou and send it in.
Now, if you come to Playa, I'lllet you know the trajectory of

(01:25):
your envelope.
It goes from us to Merida in thediplomatic pouch which we send,
maybe once every two weeks, andthen from Merida it will go,
and Merida probably sends themon a daily basis.
So maybe it goes every day, orevery week at least, from Merida
to the embassy in Mexico City.
From the embassy in Mexico Cityit would then get sent by

(01:46):
diplomatic pouch, maybe on aweekly basis or a daily basis,
to Texas and from there then itwould go into the regular mail
and then go to wherever yourstate is.
So you want to give it at leasta month or two.
Takes a while?
Yes, it does take a while,because in the old days we sent
pouches more frequently.
Takes a while?
Yes, it does take a while,because in the old days we sent
pouches more frequently but nowwe don't have routine services

(02:09):
so we almost, very rarely maybeevery two weeks send a pouch to
Merida, and Merida does stillhave routine services, so they
send them more frequently.
And then I would recommend,like, if you're worried about it
, there was a time when Isplacked off and I jerked myself
around for a while and I didn'tget my ballot and it was like
kind of the last minute I wentahead and just sucked it up and
I paid the money to FedEx, it tomy, to my voting elections

(02:34):
office in Illinois and it costme 100 bucks, but it was worth
it.