Have you registered to vote in this year’s election?

In many constituencies the Overseas Vote may prove decisive – so make sure that yours is one of those votes! Unlike voters in the US, Overseas Americans must register annually in order to be assured of receiving a ballot; some states or Local Election Officials (LEOs) may send your ballot on the basis of previous registrations, but others – particularly those concerned about voter fraud and suspicious of Overseas voters – may not. It is a myth that Overseas votes may not be counted. It is required under Federal law that all votes, including those from Overseas, must be counted before the election is certified, and the Overseas vote can provide the “margin of victory” in a close election – and could overturn an election that has already been called. 

Registering to vote has never been easier. There are three websites on which you can register:

•    The US Vote Foundation (https://www.usvotefoundation.org/vote/request-overseas-absentee-ballot),

•    The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) (https://www.fvap.gov/citizen-voter)

•    Vote From Abroad  (VFA) (https://www.votefromabroad.org/)

The third, which is a non-partisan, public service site set up by the Democratic Party Committee, in my view is the easiest, but all will do the job. FVAP is a site set up by the Federal Government for Overseas voters. Most states will allow you to email your registration form (known as the FPCA, Federal Post Card Application), but the site will tell you whether or not your state permits it.

Once you have registered, it is a good idea to contact your LEO to make sure your application has been received and accepted, though many will email you a confirmation.

The ballot is required to be sent out to Overseas voters 45 days before the election, which in 2024 is September 21^st. If your ballot is not received within a reasonable time after that date, contact your LEO.

Fill out your ballot carefully before returning it. Particularly in states that claim high levels of voter fraud, your ballot may be subjected to a higher level of scrutiny that those cast in the US. All states will email your ballot, but 20 states require them to be returned through the mail. Five states, including California and Nevada, will accept ballots by mail or fax, but not by email. If you do not have a fax, there is an app that will convert a PDF into a fax. Or you can email a scan of your ballot materials to fax@fvap.gov, from where they will be faxed to your LEO. You can find fax and email guidelines on FVAP.gov.

Complete and return your ballot as soon as possible after you receive it. The top reason Overseas ballots are not accepted is that they arrive too late to be counted. Then confirm that your ballot has been received and accepted, either on your state website or with your LEO.

Back-up:  If you sent in an FPCA but have not received your ballot, or your LEO says the FPCA was not received, you can generate a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) on FVAP.gov. This does not mean you have voted twice. If your LEO receives both ballots by the deadline, only your state ballot will be counted.

If you need help, you can get it on FVAP.gov in the “Feedback” tab or via VFA using the

red icon on the lower right of the landing page. VFA also offers live voter help via Zoom: go to https://qrco.de/bbhOzg.

For nonpartisan voting information, follow votefromabroad on Instagram, FB, Linked In, TikTok, and You Tube.

What’s going on in the United States?

Do you find it difficult to access reliable information about what is going on in the US in this crucial election year? Democrats Abroad Scotland member Penny Ciancanelli has complied the following list of podcasts, albeit with a Democrat bias. Do you know other reliable sources? Let us know and we will list them in a future newsletter. 

Penny suggests that one way to find any of them is to go to the Apple podcast app, which she relies on. Alternatively, search for the podcast by the title and various download options will appear. 

The title of the podcast is underlined below, and this should suffice as a search term.

1. Daily News Bulletin from the DSR network, a DC-based group of political Democrat Party insiders who present and discuss top news of the day (20-30 minutes). Search for either title.

2. The Al Franken Show. Once a week Al interviews someone about election issues.  

3. Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast. Three times a week several interviews in each on topics of importance in the election. She often interviews lesser-known Dem Party candidates for Congress running in swing states.

4. Amicus. Once a week Dalia Lithwick discusses legal issues in the news, ranging from Trump’s various criminal cases to recent women’s health and reproductive rights issues arising from the Dobbs decision.