American expats all know, this year, 2024, is a major election year and while it might seem too early to be thinking about registering to vote,
January 15 is International Voter Registration Day!
That means that there would still be 295 days left until the
General Election on November 5, 2024.
So, why should we ask you to register (and request your ballot) so early?
Three good reasons:
- New Year’s Resolution: Register to vote. ✓ 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 Overseas Voters request their ballot every year. You do not want to miss out, because you thought you were registered!
- Registering early: This allows you to vote in your state primaries, which come up MUCH earlier than November. Click here to seen when your state has their primary election… 2024 State Primary Election Dates
- Most significant is the fact that January 15 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. His powerful 1957 address, “Give Us the Ballot,” eloquently sought the guarantee of the right to vote, which, despite having already been granted, was then, and now, facing intentional obstacles to the exercise of that right. As MLK said in that speech: “In this juncture of our nation’s history, there is an urgent need for dedicated and courageous leadership.”
So, be sure to register to vote and request your ballot today.
How do I go about registering?
There are two ways to do this:
A. Absentee Voter: You can contact your Local Election Official (LEO, in the jargon of politics) back in the U.S. and register and request an Absentee Ballot.
B. Democrat Overseas Voter: Use Democrats Abroad’s online platform, Votefromabroad.org to register in your home state and request your ballot, all at once, in one easy step.
C. Republican Overseas Voter: Use Republican’s Overseas online platform, republicansoverseas.com, and fill out the online forms at fvap.gov, print the forms and then postal mail to register.
Both platforms are easy to use – simply scroll down to your home state and follow the instructions for that state. Rules, regulations, important dates for each state are also provided. This method of registering to vote from overseas is highly recommended.
The advantages of registering and requesting as an Overseas Voter as opposed to an Absentee Voter
The advantages of registering and requesting as an Overseas Voter as opposed to an Absentee Voter are quite significant because registering to vote from abroad protects your right to vote in two important ways (*):
- If you register to vote from abroad and if, in requesting your ballot, you ask for it to be sent to you electronically (via email), your LEO is REQUIRED to send it out to you 45 days prior to the election (September 21 – mark your calendars!). A simple Absentee Ballot does not give you that assurance. As some states still require a snail mail return of your voted ballot, 45 days give you much more time to get that back. If you were to wait for your LEO to send it to you when they can and/or if you rely on your LEO to send you the ballot by postal mail, you may not have enough time to get your voted ballot back to be counted.
- Democrat Overseas Voter from Abroad also provides you with the possibility of a backup ballot (the FWAB – I know, unfortunate name – it means 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. Vote in your primaries if you are so inclined. Watch your in-box for your ballot on September 21 (or 23, since the 21st is a Saturday). Vote your ballot. Send your ballot back as required by your state. Thanks!
Article Author: Leyani Redditi
Edited and Posted: Kimberly Vanzi
(*) In case you are interested, the pieces of legislation that protect us as Overseas Voters are:
a) UOCAVA (Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act) and
b) MOVE (The Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act)
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