Vote In The 2012 Election

New absentee voting laws are in effect for the 2012 elections.  You will no longer automatically receive ballots based on a previous absentee ballot request.  All U.S. citizens outside the United States who want to vote by absentee ballot in the 2012 primary and general elections must complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) every year if they wish to vote from abroad.  States are now required to send out ballots 45 days before an election.  No matter what state you vote in, you can now ask your local election officials to provide your blank ballots to you electronically (by email, internet download, or fax, depending on your state).  You can now also confirm your registration and ballot delivery on-line.  Be sure to include your email address on the form to take advantage of the electronic ballot delivery option.  This is the fastest and most reliable way to receive your ballot on time, and we strongly recommend every overseas voter take advantage of it.  Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program's (FVAP) website www.FVAP.gov.  

You can obtain a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) at FVAP's website. The FPCA is accepted by all local election officials in all U.S. states and territories.  It allows you to register to vote and request absentee ballots for all elections for federal offices (presidential and state primaries, run-off, special, and the November general elections) during the course of the year.  An online wizard will help you complete the form.  Depending on your state’s voting requirements, you then either send in the FPCA electronically or mail it to your local election officials.  To mail it, print out the completed FPCA and the (U.S.) postage-paid envelope containing the address of your local election officials.  If you bring in your forms or ballots to us we will mail them back home for you without you having to pay for international mail.  If it is easier for you to use the Mexican postal system, be sure to affix sufficient postage and allow sufficient time for international mail delivery. 

 If you would like to mail your forms and ballots to the United States through the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, you may drop them off during regular business hours (8:30am – 4:30pm) at Paseo de la Reforma 305, Col. Cuauhtémoc, Mexico D.F. If travel to the Embassy is not an option, contact the nearest U.S. consular agency for further instructions.  In each case, please allow plenty of time for delivery as mail sent by us to the United States must first be sent to Texas where it is then deposited as standard U.S. mail.  If you are dropping off your forms or ballots at the Embassy, please do so at least two weeks before the deadline.  If dropping of your forms or ballots at one of the four consular agencies mentioned above, please do so at least three weeks before the deadline.  U.S. citizens living in Mexico outside the states of Chiapas and Tabasco should seek assistance from the U.S. consulates or consular agencies located throughout the country.  Click on the following to find a directory of all U.S. consulates and consular agencies in Mexico. 

Check out the FVAP links page for helpful resources that will aid your research of candidates and issues.  Non-partisan information about candidates, their voting records, and their positions on issues are widely available and easy to obtain via numerous websites such as Project Smart Voter. You can also read national and hometown newspapers on-line, or search the Internet to locate articles and information.  For information about election dates and deadlines, subscribe to FVAP's Voting Alerts (vote@fvap.gov). FVAP also shares Voting Alerts via Facebook and Twitter.

If you have any questions about registering to vote overseas, please contact the VPP Team at Chiapas_Tabasco@state.gov.