•Written by William T. Dowell• ••Monday•, 29 •September• 2008 00:08•
The US presidential election in November is likely to have an unprecedented impact on non-Americans as well as US citizens. Unfortunately, only Americans get to vote. If you are an American and you haven't voted yet, you have a responsibility for what happens next, and time is running out. If you are from one of the nine "swing" states, you really need to vote. We all know what happened in the 2000 election, when the outcome depended on a handful of votes. Even if you are from a state where the vote looks like a foregone conclusion, this election is likely to change history for all of us. It is important that your vote is counted. You don't want to let this slip by simply because of inertia, laziness, or you think that you are too busy at the office. Click on "read more" just below this paragraph for critical information on how you can get your ballot in on time.If you haven't registered yet, or need help, you can contact Christine Houben, the regional director for Americans Abroad for Obama at •This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it• and have her send you a registration form and an emergency absentee ballot. If you really want John McCain to win this election, the ballot and registration forms are the same whether you are voting for McCain or Obama. Christine is a good contact for Americans in France or Switzerland. You can also telephone Louise Meyers, the voter registration chair for Democrats in France, at 09 51 75 01 62. She is can be reached on line at •This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it• . Alternatively, Republicans Abroad have their own website at www.republicansabroad.org/.
On a less partisan level, you can check out www.VoteFromAbroad.org, The website will take you step-by-step through the registration and balloting process. You will need a "Federal Post Card Application" (referred to as an FPCA), which needs to be postmarked by October 4. You will also get a FWEAB, otherwise known as a "Federal Write-in Emergency Ballot." You need to send both the post card application and the emergency write-in ballot to your county supervisor's election office at the same time. You can find your election office by following the steps at VoteFromAbroad.org. If you haven't lived in the US in decades, you send the ballot and post card application to the county where you last resided in the US. If you've never lived in the US at all, you can apply to the county where your parents previously lived.
Twenty-five states, including nine swing states – Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, – have registration deadlines in the next two weeks.
Voters in the following states (who have not yet registered and/or requested their ballots) must ensure that their FPCAs are sent in NOW!
Oct. 4 – Illinois, Nevada, South Carolina
Oct. 5 – Alaska, Mississippi
Oct. 6 – Colorado, DC, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wyoming
Oct. 8 – Missouri
Oct. 10 – Idaho, New York
All of these states except for NY and WY will accept faxed FPCAs (Federal Post Card Apllications). Please use the following US fax number: +1-703-693-5527 (the toll free numbers in many parts of the world do not work). All faxes are received in Virginia by the Federal Voting Assistance Program. The FVAP will log in the date and time that the fax was received and then forward it on to your local election official. For deadline purposes, your form is deemed received when it arrives on the FVAP's fax machine, but you still must MAIL the original form to your local election official.
Exceptions: NY and WY do NOT accept faxes. The only way to meet the deadlines for NY and WY is to ensure that your original FPCA arrives in the local election office by mail no later than the deadline. (NY and WY will also accept FPCAs by commercial courier.) NOTE: FPCAs need NOT carry a foreign postmark!
Later Deadlines: The other states have later registration deadlines. Check them here: http://democratsabroad.org/registration_dates and watch for our forthcoming Voter Alerts. You can expect these every few days through October.
To check the status of your registration, check http://democratsabroad.org/registration_links. If your state is not listed, contact your local election official. You can find this information at www.Votesmart.org/voter_county_election_offices.php
Questions? Send to •This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it• . Remember, if you still want to vote Republican, the ballots and information are still valid regardless of which party provides themn. The point is to vote. What happens in this election really does depend on all of us.
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