Voting
In 2008, about one-third of the seats in the Senate and all of the seats in the House of Representatives will be up for election. Your state or locality may also have important elections this year. Register today so you can be ready to vote by absentee ballot!
Check if your state or local Board of Elections has a website. If so, it is probably fastest to make your absentee ballot request directly to them. If you can’t find such a website, visit the Federal voting Assistance Program website at www.fvap.gov. Online Federal Post Card Applications are available from them at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefpca.html. Hard copy versions are available at the Embassy, but applying online will eliminate the risk of mail delays.
If you need additional help, please feel free to visit the U.S. Embassy’s American Citizen Services Unit in person, or email us at VoteSeoul@state.gov.
Important Information About Voting via Fax or Email
Citizens should be aware that by emailing or faxing the voted ballot they are waiving the right to secrecy of their vote and must sign a waiver that will be included in the emailed or faxed ballot materials. Refer to Appendix C of the 2008-2009 Voting Assistance Guide (http://www.fvap.gov/services/faxing.html) for instructions, toll-free fax numbers, and a cover sheet, which includes a secrecy waiver, for use when transmitting voted ballots by email or by fax.
Contact the FVAP with Questions
All overseas voters are urged to contact the FVAP with questions. For assistance, you may contact an FVAP staff member through the DoD Voting Information Center (VIC). The VIC also provides recorded messages from candidates, as well as other information concerning elections, 24 hours a day. Citizens may reach the VIC toll-free using the toll-free numbers listed on the FVAP website, http://www.fvap.gov/services/tollfree.html. In the U.S. or Canada call 1-800-438-VOTE (8683) or local (703) 588-1343 or use DSN (military) 425-1343. Questions regarding the above may also be referred to the Director, Federal Voting Assistance Program, Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-1155. Additionally, the FVAP can be reached via e-mail at vote@fvap.ncr.gov and on the World Wide Web at http://www.fvap.gov/.
The FVAP can be contacted through the DoD Voting Information Center (VIC). Citizens may reach the VIC toll-free from 67 countries using the toll-free numbers listed on the FVAP website, www.fvap.gov. The VIC provides recorded messages from candidates, as well as other information concerning elections, 24 hours a day. Questions regarding the above may also be referred to the Director, Federal Voting Assistance Program, Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 20301-1155, vote@fvap.ncr.gov and on the World Wide Web at www.fvap.gov.
Important Information About Voting Abroad - 2008 Elections
All American citizens are reminded that 2008 is an election year in the United States. Overseas citizens are eligible to participate in primary, run-off, and special elections that occur throughout the year, as well as the general elections in November. A calendar of election dates is available on the Internet at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/primarycal.html. You are encouraged to register to vote and/or request absentee ballots as early in the year as possible to ensure that you will receive all ballots for which you are eligible.
The following is the basic absentee voting process:
- You complete an application form (see below) and send it to local election officials in the U.S.
- The local official approves your request, or contacts you for further information
- The local official sends you an absentee ballot
- You vote the ballot and send it back in time to meet your state's deadline
If the ballot receipt deadline is drawing near, and you have not yet received the blank ballot from local officials, you can download an emergency ballot, write in the names of the candidates and the offices for which they are running, and send it back in time to meet your state's ballot receipt deadline. The emergency ballot (SF-186, Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, or FWAB) is available on the Internet at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/forms.html.
Registration and ballot request procedures and deadlines vary by state. Information about your state's procedures is available on the internet at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/vag/vagchapter3.html. Information about your state's registration and voting deadlines is available at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/primarycal.html.
There may be late changes to your state's voting calendar, procedures or deadlines. When these occur, the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) will issue a News Release. News Releases are available on the Internet at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/releases.html.
The official US Government website for overseas absentee voting assistance is the Federal Voting Assistance Program website at www.fvap.gov. It has a wealth of information about absentee voting, including the downloadable absentee ballot application (SF-76, Federal Post Card Application, or FPCA), state-specific instructions for completing the form, links to or contact numbers for state and local officials, and the downloadable emergency ballot.
Overseas Americans may contact Democrats Abroad, Republicans Abroad or other American citizens groups or organizations for absentee voting information, or for assistance in registering to vote or to request absentee ballots. Links to these groups may be found on the FVAP website at http://www.fvap.gov/links/ocitlinks.html.
The FVAP Get Out the Vote Campaign website, launching soon, will educate young adults about the ease and importance of voting in the 2008 and future elections. The campaign website will provide information on the democratic process and links to candidate information. Information about the campaign will be available at www.fvap.gov once campaigns begin.
Additionally, the Voting Assistance Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Korea, is available to answer questions about absentee voting. To contact the Voting Assistance Officer, call 82-2-397-4114 or send an e-mail to VoteSeoul@state.gov. Look for notices from the Embassy throughout the year relating to the 2008 elections.
Again, we strongly encourage you to begin this process as soon as possible. Should questions or problems occur, you would still be able to address them in time to vote in your state’s primary and general elections.
Who Can Vote from Overseas?
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) allows certain U.S. citizens vote in absentia, including members of the U.S. Uniformed Services on active duty and their family members while away from their place of voting residence, wherever stationed, within or outside the United States.
The UOCAVA also applies to U.S. citizens residing outside the United States and its territories. These citizens may vote in the state or territory where they last resided immediately prior to departing the United States, even if many years have elapsed and the citizen maintains no residence in the state or territory and the intent to return to that state or territory may not be certain. Most states and territories permit these citizens to vote in elections for Federal offices only, although some states may send a ballot containing local, state and Federal offices.
Note that the UOCAVA provides that voting for Federal offices shall not affect the determination of the voter's place of residence for purpose of any tax imposed under Federal, state or local law. Liability for state income tax, however, may be incurred in some states by voting absentee in state or local elections. To assess the probability of incurring state taxes on income earned outside the United States, you may wish to consult legal counsel for details.
Registering to Vote
In order to register to vote and/or to request an Absentee Ballot, an eligible US citizen must accurately complete a Federal Post Card Application form (FPCA) and submit that to the proper US election official. The FPCA is used to register to vote in federal, state, and local elections; to request an absentee ballot; and to report changes of address.
The extent and manner of FPCA usage is controlled by state and territory law, and sometimes by local procedure. For information on your state's requirements, please visit the Federal Voting Application Program (FVAP) website, or contact the American Citizens Services office at (02) 397-4114, FAX (02) 397-4101, VoteSeoul@state.gov.
The deadline for submitting the FPCA may vary from state to state. In order to ensure timely delivery of the election ballot to you, every non-registered citizen is urged to submit the FPCA at least 60 days prior to the election; registered citizens are urged to submit the FPCA at least 45 days before the election.
If your state instructs you to notarize the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) form and/or your Voting Ballot form, the American Citizens Services branch can perform this service, free of charge. The ACS Unit is open to the public on Monday through Friday from 09:30-11:30 AM and Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 1:30-3:30 PM. We are closed on Wednesday afternoons. The American Embassy is closed on both U.S. and Korean holidays.
How to Keep Election Officials Informed of Your Current Address
FVAP recommends that overseas voters complete and submit the FPCA every year, in January, and whenever one moves or is transferred.
When completing the FPCA indicate your “NEW ADDRESS” and your “OLD ADDRESS”. Completion instructions for each state can be found in Chapter 3 of the 2008-2009 Voting Assistance Guide. State-specific instructions are also available online at www.fvap.gov.
In addition to informing the local election official of your current mailing address, submitting the FPCA confirms your registration and acts as a request for absentee ballots for any subsequent elections.
It is important to include a voter registration number or Social Security Number and any further information that can help the local election official properly identify you.
Submit an address change early enough so that you have enough time to receive, vote your ballot, and return it to the local election official to meet state deadlines.
If you return to your state of legal voting residence, be sure to notify your local election official that you plan on voting at the polls in the next election.
How to Mail Your FPCA and Ballot
The U.S. Embassy is able to return ballots and FPCAs through government mail. Feel free to drop off completed ballots with the American Citizen Services (ACS) Unit of the Embassy. Ballots mailed through the U.S. Embassy must be in U.S. postage-paid envelopes or have appropriate U.S. postage affixed.
Overseas voters who send Federal Post Card Applications (FPCAs), voted ballots and/or Federal Write-in Absentee Ballots (FWABs) through the Embassy no longer need to affix U.S. postage stamps to envelopes containing forms that they downloaded or received by fax. By using a downloadable postage-paid return envelope template available on the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website at http://fvap.gov/pubs/returnenvelope.pdf, voters can print out a postage-paid return envelope template directly onto an envelope or onto a piece of paper that can then be taped to an envelope. Information and instructions are located at http://fvap.gov/pubs/returnenvelope.html. Voters who send their FPCAs or ballots via the host country's mail system need to affix host country postage stamps.
Some states now allow the electronic transmission by email of blank ballots from the local election official to the voter. In some cases, states allow the return of the voted ballot from the voter to the local election official by email. The following is a list of states that currently allow blank ballot delivery by e-mail (with return of voted ballot noted in parenthesis):
North Dakota (also accepts voted ballot via email)
South Carolina (also accepts voted ballot via email)
Montana (some counties accept voted ballots via email)
Mississippi (sends and receives for active duty overseas only)
Florida
Virginia
Wisconsin
Washington (some counties allow blank ballot delivery by e-mail)
Illinois (Chicago/Cook County only allows blank ballot delivery by e-mail)
Missouri allowed emailing out of ballots for the 2004 general election.
Also, the following courier services have express delivery to the United States. For each of them, the delivery time is about 1-2 days and the cost is approximately 27,000 Won.
DHL
#164-5, Yeomri-Dong, Mapo-Gu
Seoul 121-874, Korea
Phone: 1588-0001
Fedex
#146-1 Soosong-Dong, Chongro-Gu
Leema Bldg. 10th Fl.
Seoul 110-755, Korea
Phone: 02-333-8000
Hanjin Express
#41-3, Seosomoon-Dong, Chung-Gu
Seoul 100-735, Korea
Phone: 02-738-1212
The U.S. Embassy is providing this information as a public service to U.S. citizen voters and does not endorse any particular company or guarantee delivery of ballots or ballot requests.
For More Information...
The best single source of information is the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website. The FVAP website is home to a variety of information that is updated regularly with answers to almost any voting related question available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Voters can visit the FVAP website to find state-specific instructions for completing the FPCA, links to your state election sites and much more.
Log on today and you will find:
Information on absentee voting, including a list of “Frequently Asked Questions”;
The Voting Assistance Guide, which provides procedures for registration and absentee ballot requests;
Other publications such as News Releases, the Voting Information Newsletter (VIN) and archived issues of the VIN;
Links to state election sites where you can read about upcoming state elections and gain access to candidate information;
Links to counties of legal voting residence;
The online alternative version of the FPCA, which is accepted by all states including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands (American Samoa and Guam do not accept the OFPCA);
A list of international toll free phone and fax numbers to contact the FVAP.
Information on communicating with elected officials, including local, state, and federal offices, and tips for telephoning or writing their elected officials.
If after reviewing the site you still have additional questions, you can contact the FVAP by email at vote@fvap.ncr.gov or by phone. Contact information is provided below. During non-business hours, citizens may leave a message. When doing so, please leave sufficient information to allow FVAP staff to get back in touch with you in a timely manner. Indicate the country you are calling from and leave a complete telephone number including international prefixes and email address (if available). In order to access the Voting Information Center (VIC), the call must be placed on a touch-tone phone.
General Information
Voting
vote 2008
