VOTING FROM BENIN
Your vote counts! Did you know that many recent U.S. elections have been decided by a margin smaller than the number of ballots cast by military and overseas voters? All states are required to count every absentee ballot as long as it is valid and reaches local election officials by the absentee ballot receipt deadline.
Follow a few simple steps to make sure that you can vote in the upcoming U.S. elections:
Registering to Vote: Complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) (PDF 320KB). Even if you have voted by absentee ballot in the past, you must complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) (PDF 320KB) to vote in the upcoming U.S. elections. The FPCA is accepted by all local election officials in all U.S. states and territories. It allows you to register to vote and to request absentee ballots for all regular, primary, run-off, and special elections for federal offices (President, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives) during the course of the year it is submitted in.
You can complete the FPCA online at FVAP.gov. The online voting assistant will ask you questions specific to your state. It will tell you if your state allows the FPCA to be returned electronically or if you must submit a paper copy with original signature.
Receiving Your Ballot: Request Electronic Delivery! States are now required to send out ballots 45 days before a regular election for federal office (President, U.S. Senate, or U.S. House of Representatives) and states generally send out ballots at least 30 days before primary elections. No matter which state you vote in, we encourage you to ask your local election officials to deliver your blank ballots to you electronically (by email, internet download, or fax, depending on your state). Be sure to include your email address on your FPCA to take advantage of the electronic ballot delivery option. You can now also confirm your registration and ballot delivery online for most states.
Researching the Candidates and Issues: Online Resources. Check out the FVAP links page for helpful resources that will aid your research of candidates and issues. Non-partisan information about candidates, their voting records, and their positions on issues are widely available and easy to obtain via numerous websites such as Project Smart Voter. You can also read national and hometown newspapers on-line, or search the Internet to locate articles and information. For information about election dates and deadlines, subscribe to FVAP’s Voting Alerts (vote@fvap.gov). FVAP also shares Voting Alerts via Facebook and Twitter.
Returning Your Completed Ballot: Other Options. If your state requires you to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials, you can do so free of charge at the nearest embassy or consulate. They must be in either postage paid return envelopes or in envelopes bearing sufficient domestic U.S. postage, and must also be addressed to the relevant local election officials. Completed ballots can be dropped off at the Consular Concierge Window on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 0900 through November 3.
If you have questions about voting or would like to mail your voting forms and ballots to the United States, please contact the American Citizen Services Unit at the U.S. Embassy by email at ACSCotonou@state.gov. Please note that the section is closed on holidays. As noted above, documents should be in envelopes with sufficient postage with the correct election office address. Although the U.S. Embassy will do our part to get your ballot in the mail, we cannot guarantee that the ballot will arrive on time. Please ensure that you give plenty of time for your ballot to reach your election office.
If it’s more convenient for you, you can also return your FPCA or ballot to your local election officials via international mail or professional courier service at your own expense
Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) website www.FVAP.gov. If you have any questions about registering to vote overseas, please contact ACSCotonou@state.gov.
