Warden Message

Voting Information for the 2008 Primary and General Election

This is a reminder that we are entering the U.S. presidential election season. We encourage voters to act now so that their vote counts – not only in the November 2008 presidential and general elections, but also in the presidential primary and state primary elections! The official U.S. Government website for overseas absentee voting assistance is the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website http://www.fvap.gov.

Generally, all U.S. citizens 18 years or older who are or will be residing outside the United States during an election period are eligible to vote absentee in any election for Federal office.  This includes primary, run-off, and special elections that occur throughout the year, as well as the general election in November 2008.  Some states allow overseas voters to vote in elections for state and local offices, and for state and local referendums.

Voting eligibility and residency requirements are determined by the various U.S. states, and are available on-line at http://fvap.gov/pubs.vag.html.  Your "legal state of residence" for voting purposes is the state where you last resided immediately prior to departure from the United States.  Voting rights extend to overseas citizens even though they may no longer own property or have other ties to their last state of residence, and even if their intent to return to that state may be uncertain.  For those who have never resided in the U.S., sixteen states currently allow eligible U.S. citizens to register where a parent would be eligible to vote.

To register to vote and/or apply for an absentee ballot, you use the on-line version of the Federal Post Card Application (OFPCA) found at http://www.fvap.gov.  The OFPCA is accepted by all states and territories except American Samoa and Guam.  It must be completed legibly, printed, signed, dated and mailed to the voter’s local election officials.  Your state may allow a faxed submission to speed up the process, but you will still need to mail the original.  Use an envelope and affix proper postage.  The official U.S. Government website for overseas absentee voting assistance, http://www.fvap.gov, has a wealth of information about absentee voting, including the state-specific instructions for completing the FPCA form, links to state and local officials, and a downloadable emergency ballot for use by those who register in time but fail to receive an official ballot.

As a general rule, you should try to send in the FPCA so that it reaches your local election officials at least forty-five days before the first election in which you are eligible to vote --- ample time for them to process the request and send you a blank ballot.  If applying for both registration and an absentee ballot, you may want to mail the FPCA earlier.  One FPCA will qualify you to receive all ballots for Federal offices for the next two regular Federal elections (through 2010).  However, we recommend that you submit a new FPCA in January of every year, and whenever you move, to ensure that your most recent mailing and e-mail addresses are on file with your local election officials.

Under normal circumstances, most states and territories begin sending ballots to overseas citizens 30-45 days before an election.  However, if you haven’t received your ballot within three weeks of your state’s ballot receipt deadline, and you are required to return your voted ballot by mail, you should download, complete, sign, date, and send in a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB), available at http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefwab.html.  Make sure it is witnessed if required by your state.  If you subsequently receive your regular absentee ballot, execute it and return it regardless of when you receive it.  Court decisions sometimes require late counting of ballots voted by Election Day, but received by local election officials for a specified period of time following Election Day.

Be an Educated Voter

Non-partisan information about candidates, their voting records, and their positions on issues is widely available and easy to obtain via the Internet.  Use the links appearing on the FVAP website at http://www.fvap.gov/links/otherlinks.html, read your hometown newspaper on-line, or search the Internet to locate articles and information.

The Voting Assistance Officer at Embassy Doha is also always available to answer questions about absentee voting.  To contact the Voting Assistance Officer, send an e-mail to votedoha@state.gov.

Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the U.S. Embassy/Consulate’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, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts 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. and Canada, 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 488-4101, extension 6117.   This complete message is available on the Embassy's website at http://qatar.usembassy.gov.