Miscellaneous Services

Voting Services

It’s election season in the United States and it’s time to make your voice heard. The Department of State can assist you as a U.S. citizen to exercise your right to vote.
Absentee voting in elections while you are residing abroad is not complicated.  Generally, all U.S. citizens over age 18 who will be residing outside the United States during an election are eligible to vote absentee in any election for Federal office, such as the state primaries and the Presidential election upcoming in November 2008.  You can also vote in special elections, and some states allow overseas voters to vote in state and local elections.
Voting absentee takes two steps: First, you register.  Then you mail your ballot.

Am I eligible to vote absentee?

What is my U.S. state of residence?

How do I register to vote absentee?

How do I vote?

My ballot did not arrive yet.  What should I do?

Where should I go for more voting information?

I still have questions!

Am I eligible to vote absentee?  You are eligible if you
Are 18 years old or more
Reside overseas
Have a legal state of residence in the United States

What is my U.S. state of residence?  Where you last resided and/or voted prior to departure from the United States.  If you have never lived in the U.S., 16 states currently allow eligible U.S. citizens to register to vote where a parent would be eligible to vote.  For more information, see the Federal Voting Assistance Program home page to find your state’s rules.

How do I register to vote absentee?  You register by using the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).  It is available online as the OFPCA.  The FPCA or OFPCA must be completed legibly, printed, signed, dated and mailed to your local election officials.  As the registration process takes some time, you should register well before the elections take place.  The U.S. Consulate will mail the FPCA for you, free of charge.  (International air mail, if you prefer to use it, is at your expense.)
State voting laws differ.  Depending on your state, you may register permanently, register temporarily, or apply for an absentee ballot by waiving registration. You may do any of these with a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).
Your FPCA qualifies you to receive all ballots for federal office elections for the next two regular federal elections.  Submit a new FPCA whenever you move.

How do I vote?  The electoral process is administered by the states, which send ballots to registered overseas voters.  You vote by mailing an absentee ballot to your home state.  The U.S. Consulate will mail the completed ballot for you, free of charge.  U.S. citizens cannot vote at the Consulate.

My ballot did not arrive yet.  What should I do?  Most states will send out absentee ballots four to six weeks before an election.  If you do not receive your ballot within three weeks of the receipt deadline, you may use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB), available from the U.S. Consulate.  It is only good for federal elections.  The U.S. Consulate will mail the FWAB for you, free of charge.  It must show an overseas return address. 

Where should I go for more voting information?  For official information on voting overseas, the Department of Defense Voting Assistance Guide is available from the U.S. Consulate, or the Federal Voting Assistance Program home page.  It has instructions on filling out the federal forms, gives suggestions on how to determine the state in which you should vote and summarizes state regulations on how to register and how to request ballots.  Voting Officers do not provide information on candidates and issues, only on the process. It is the voter's responsibility to keep informed through U.S. media, relatives in the U.S. and overseas political party organizations.

I still have questions!  The Voting Assistance Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Kolkata is always available to answer questions about absentee voting.  You may call
(033) 3948-2400 or send an email to VoteKolkata@state.gov.