Embassy of the United States Baghdad, Iraq

BE SMART! DO YOUR PART!

VOTE!  Contact us for Voting Assistance!

Frequently Used FVAP web links:
Voting Assistance Guide online (2010-2011)

Forms: You can now save your completed ONLINE Federal Post Card Application (OFPCA) and Online Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (OFWAB) to their computer for future use, using an Adobe Acrobat Reader version of 7.0 or higher.  This could be useful for someone who may expect to move frequently.

To download and save the forms: 

• FPCA (2005) online version (PDF 81.9 KB)
• Return Envelope printable version (PDF 95.2 KB)
• Federal Write in Ballot (PDF 139 KB)
• The ten things to help ensure your Absentee Vote is counted
• Voting by Citizens Who Never Lived in the United States 

News Releases:

• State Legislatures Initiatives

NOTE: The form is available as an Adobe Acrobat (pdf). To read this file, you must have an Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 7 program to display them. If you do not have Acrobat Reader loaded on your computer, you can download it free from Adobe's web site.

In 2006 The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) launched  the Integrated Voting Alternative Site (IVAS). The section features information from the fifty-five states and territories regarding the electronic ballot request and delivery alternatives available to citizens covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).

Each state and territory has differing laws regarding the use of electronic transmission alternatives to the by-mail process with respect to absentee voting materials: Electronic Transmission Alternatives by State

THE FVAP CAN BE CONTACTED THROUGH THE FOLLOWING AVENUES:

• DOD Voting Information Center (VIC). The VIC provides recorded messages from candidates, as well as other information concerning elections, 24 hours a day
• Toll-free numbers listed on the FVAP
• The FVAP can be contacted from the United States, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands with any questions via our toll-free telephone service at: 1-800-438-8683
• Questions regarding the above may also be referred to the Director, Federal Voting Assistance Program, Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, email: vote@fvap.ncr.gov Oct 15th: Last day to mail your Absentee Ballot during election year

Law Makes Absentee Voting Easier for Overseas Americans

On October 28, 2009, Congress enacted the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act. This legislation amends existing law regarding overseas voting in federal elections, and should make voting easier for overseas Americans.

Overseas Absentee Ballot Requests

Effective immediately, states will no longer be required by federal law to continue to mail election materials to overseas addresses (even when they are determined to be invalid) for two complete general election cycles on the basis of a single ballot request. It will now be up to each state to determine how long to continue to send out election materials before requiring overseas voters to submit new ballot requests. This change, sought by local election officials, should greatly decrease the volume of voting materials sent abroad to addresses where Americans no longer reside.

State Department Recommendations

In light of these changes, the Department of State recommends that all U.S. voters residing abroad request absentee ballots from their local election officials at the start of each calendar year, and whenever there is a change of address, change of e-mail address, or change of name, by completing and sending in a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). To locate information on your specific state's requirements, and to obtain an on-line version of the FPCA, please visit www.fvap.gov. Voters may also pick up a hard copy of the FPCA from any U.S. embassy or consulate. FPCAs may be mailed to your local voting officials in the United States via international mail or from any U.S. embassy or consulate. Many states allow U.S. citizens overseas to submit the FPCA by e-mail or fax.

The Department of State strongly encourages all U.S. overseas voters to provide email addresses or fax numbers on their FPCAs to enable local election officials to transmit election materials in the fastest manner available, which should then allow sufficient time for the return of voted ballots. For information regarding your specific state, please visit Federal Voting Assistance Program.

Emergency Ballots

The Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) serves as an emergency ballot for the November general elections for federal offices, although some states also permit its use for elections for state and local offices. Beginning in January 2011, the new law allows use of the FWAB for primary, special, and runoff elections for federal offices. Voters who request an absentee ballot in advance of their state's ballot request deadline, but who fail to receive an official ballot from local election officials in time to vote, should complete the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot and send it back to local election officials in time for it to be counted.  For more instruction click on FWAB

Questions?

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