30/09/2024
Title: Updated 2024 Election Information
Your vote counts! Did you know that many U.S. federal elections for the House of Representatives and Senate have been decided by a margin smaller than the number of ballots cast by absentee voters? All states are required to count every absentee ballot that is valid and reaches local election officials by the absentee ballot receipt deadline.
The United States DOES NOT have in person voting at U.S. embassies or consulates abroad. If you cannot take advantage of your state’s specific in-person voting requirements, you should plan to vote by absentee ballot.
Verify your voter registration now! Most states and jurisdictions have registration deadlines. If you want to vote this fall, you should verify your status and registration NOW.
Follow a few simple steps to make sure that you can vote absentee in the 2024 federal U.S. elections:
1. Request your ballot. We encourage you to request your blank ballots be delivered electronically (by email, internet download, or fax, depending on your state). Many states can send you a full absentee ballot. FVAP.gov will have instructions for your state or local jurisdiction.
You can complete the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) online at FVAP.gov. The online voting assistant will ask you questions specific to your state. Each request for the FPCA is limited to the year in which it is requested. You must complete a new FPCA to ensure you receive your ballot for the 2024 elections. Submitting the FPCA allows you to request absentee ballots for all elections for federal offices (President, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives) including primaries and special elections during the calendar year in which it is submitted. All local election officials in all U.S. states and territories accept the FPCA. Include your email address on your FPCA to take advantage of the electronic ballot delivery option. Return the FPCA per the instructions on the website.
2. Receive and complete your ballot. States are required to send out ballots 45 days before a regular election for federal office and generally send ballots at least 30 days before primary elections. For most states, you can confirm your registration and ballot delivery online.
3. Return your completed ballot. Remember U.S. embassies and consulates are not polling places. Same-day, in-person voting is not available outside the United States. Many states require voted ballots to reach local election officials by the time polls close on election day (Tuesday, November 5). U.S. citizens who want to participate in the 2024 U.S. elections from overseas should have already returned their absentee ballots to their local election officials. If you plan to drop your ballot off at the embassy to be returned to your local election office, we recommend you do so no later than October 4. Please ensure your ballot is addressed to your local election officials and is either placed a postage-paid envelope or bears sufficient domestic U.S. postage.
4. While some states allow you to return your completed ballot electronically, others do not. If your state requires you to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials, you can do so through the drop boxes located at U.S. Embassy Jerusalem, U.S. Embassy Branch Office Tel Aviv, and America House Ramallah. We will send your ballot by U.S. Embassy diplomatic pouch. Place your ballot in a postage-paid return envelope or in an envelope bearing sufficient domestic U.S. postage and address it to the relevant local election office.
Be aware that it can take four weeks or more for mail to reach its destination via diplomatic pouch, and we do not have the ability to track those documents. If you want or need the ability to track your forms or ballot, you should return your FPCA or ballot to your local election officials via international mail or professional courier service at your own expense.
If you want to return your voting forms and ballots by the U.S. Embassy diplomatic pouch, you may drop them off at the following locations:
• U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (14 David Flusser), Monday through Friday, excluding U.S and local holidays, between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm. The drop box is located at the entrance to the Consular Section.
• U.S. Embassy Branch Office Tel Aviv (71 HaYarkon), Monday through Friday, excluding U.S. and local holidays, between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm. The drop box is located at the entrance to the Consular Section.
• America House Ramallah, Sunday through Thursday, excluding U.S. and local holidays, between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm.
FVAP recommends voters to submit an FPCA at least 90 days before the election (by August 7, 2024). Election officials start to send out ballots 45 days before each election (by September 21, 2024). FVAP recommends overseas voters to submit their ballots to the Embassy at least 4 weeks before the election (by October 4, 2024) to ensure that your vote is counted by your state’s election officials. If you have not received an absentee ballot within 30 days of requesting it, you can use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) as a backup ballot to vote for federal offices.
Never received your ballot?
If you registered to vote and requested an absentee ballot prior to your state’s registration deadline, but have not yet received your ballot, you can complete and return a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) and return it to your local election office. The FWAB is available at www.FVAP.gov. If your regular ballot arrives later, complete and return it as well. Your FWAB will only be counted if your regular ballot does not reach local election officials by your state’s deadline. Your vote will not be counted twice.
Missed the U.S. embassy shipment deadline?
If your state allows, you may be able to return your voted ballot to your local election office electronically. You can also consider returning your ballot via an express courier service at your own expense. Ballots sent via express courier do not receive standard postmarks, so voters using this method should confirm delivery on or before November 5 prior to payment and shipment. Check your state’s voting procedures at www.FVAP.gov for guidance.
If you have previously registered to vote and requested an absentee ballot but it has not yet arrived, some states allow voters to email or fax their voted, signed Federal Write-in Absentee Ballots to local election officials. Review your state’s voting procedures at www.FVAP.gov carefully for guidance.
Help spread the word about overseas voting!
Please help spread the word to your friends, family, and colleagues that now is the time return your ballot if you are voting from overseas.
Research candidates and issues. Please see the FVAP links page for resources you can use to research candidates and issues.
Learn more at FVAP.gov. If you have any questions about registering to vote overseas, contact U.S. Embassy Jerusalem’s Voting Assistance Officers at [email protected] or [email protected].
Remember, your vote counts!
Ensuring Service members, their eligible family members and overseas citizens can vote -- from anywhere in the world.
