Warden Message
September 22, 2008
U. S. Embassy Doha Voting Day, October 14, 2008
The American Citizen Services Unit invites all U.S. Citizens to Voting Day on Tuesday, October 14, 2008, from 8 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., in the Consular Section waiting room at the U. S. Embassy in Doha. This year is an important election year: all United States Representatives, a number of United States Senators and state Governors, the President and the Vice President will be elected on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008.
U.S. Citizens who are registered to vote and wish to cast their absentee ballot are encouraged to attend. Registered voters who fail to receive a ballot from their local election officials may be eligible to use a federal emergency write-in ballot. The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, or FWAB, is available on-line from the Federal Voting Assistance Program website at http://www.fvap.gov.
After you vote, the Consular Section will mail your ballot through the Army Post Office mail system to ensure it arrives in time to be counted. A postage-paid envelope template for use in sending the completed ballot or FWAB back to election officials through the U.S. Postal Service is also available at http://www.fvap.gov.
After you provide your absentee ballot or Federal Write-In Ballot, we will place a date stamp and consular seal on all ballot envelopes presented to the Consular Section, and will witness or notarize your ballot free of charge. Some states allow faxing or e-mailing of ballots; others require that the ballots be mailed. See your state’s rules for use of fax or e-mail at http://www.fvap.gov.
Please pay careful attention to your state’s ballot receipt deadlines, and comply with any post-marking, witnessing or notarization requirements. Voting regulations are mandated by state governments and vary state-by-state. The Federal Voting Assistance Guide provides detailed voter registration and voting regulations and instructions for each state.Please visit http://www.fvap.gov and note whether the regulations for your state:
• Allow use of the Federal Write-In Ballot as voter registration;
Please familiarize yourself with the regulations particular to your state before you come to the U.S. Embassy. If you are not registered to vote or your state does not allow use of the Federal Write-In Ballot, you may not be able to cast your vote at the U.S. Embassy on Voting Day. Of course, this does not prevent you from obtaining an absentee ballot from your state and complying with their regulations to ensure your vote is properly counted. Consular Officers and staff will be available to help answer your questions regarding your state’s regulations, the Federal Write-In Ballot, voter registration and any of our other services available to American Citizens. Please send any questions before Voting Day to ACSConsularDoha@state.gov.
Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the U.S. Embassy in Doha’s website, http://qatar.usembassy.gov, and the U.S. Department of State's travel website at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Middle East and North Africa Public Announcement, and other Travel Warnings and Public Announcements can be found. The U.S. Embassy also encourages U.S. citizens to review to “A Safe Trip Abroad,” found at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1747.html, which includes valuable security information for those both living and traveling abroad. In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.
Citizens living and residing in Qatar are advised to register their presence in the country through the U.S. Department of State’s automated online registration system, https://travelregistration.state.gov. U.S. citizens may also contact the Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy via email at ACSConsularDoha@state.gov or by calling 496-6000, extension 6117. Further updates will be forthcoming when new information is available. This complete message is available on the Embassy’s website at http://qatar.usembassy.gov.