COVID-19 and other factors seem to be making it extra hard for overseas voters to take part in the 2020 US elections. But we will overcome them all to exercise our right to vote, 100 years after American women first started to vote nationwide.
This article covers not only making your plan to vote in 2020 but also spreading the word about US Election Month(s) and when we can expect to have the final results of the election.
Make a plan to ensure that you cast a valid vote
Every overseas American should be making a plan to ensure that they cast a valid ballot in 2020. This means taking five steps.
- Learn the deadlines and requirements for your state.
- When you register to vote, ask for email/online ballot delivery.
- Vote your ballot immediately.
- Return your ballot immediately.
- Track your ballot to ensure local election officials receive it.
1. Learn the deadlines and requirements for your state
Start by ensuring that you know the deadlines and requirements for your state. Find them on the US Vote Foundation website under State Voting Requirements. Click on your state and check the deadlines for registration and ballot submission, including whether you can use a carrier (DHL or FedEx, for example) other than the US Postal Service for your ballot.
See also the attached document from the Federal Voter Assistance Program (FVAP), which lists the ID required and methods by which you can receive or submit the registration form (FPCA) and the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB): FPCAandFWAB_Reference.pdf.
Also see US Vote's new information on options for ballot return.
Use this information to make your plan.
2. When you register to vote, ask for email/online ballot delivery
When you register to vote with the US Vote Foundation or FVAP, ask for email/online ballot delivery (all states permit this) and return your voted ballot the same way if your state permits. (If you did not request electronic delivery, send in another form with this request.)
3. Vote your ballot immediately
States are required by law to send out ballots no later than 45 days before the election – that’s September 19, 2020.
When you get your blank ballot, vote it immediately. Fill it out carefully, following all the instructions, and remember to sign the return envelope. Check your work before sending!
If your ballot does not arrive by October 1, go to US Vote Foundation or FVAP and get, fill out and send a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB). Be just as careful in voting the FWAB as you would your regular ballot. If the regular ballot arrives after you have sent the FWAB, vote and send that, too, and let the local election official decide which to count.
4. Return your ballot immediately
Return your completed ballot immediately – electronically or by fax if your state permits that. If not, send your completed ballot by post (registered mail is recommended), or consider using a carrier such as DHL or FedEx if your state allows that. Some require a postmark – check the rules for your state and/or US Vote's new information on options for ballot return.
Some embassies/consulates allow voters to drop off completed ballots for transport to the US in the diplomatic bag. All the bags go to a distribution center in the US and move on by post from there, so US Vote does not recommend this method.
5. Track your ballot to ensure local election officials receive it.
After you have sent in your completed ballot, use your state's ballot tracking services to confirm that the local election authorities have received it. Go to State Voting Requirements & Information on the Foundation website, select your state; click on State Lookup Tools, and choose Where’s My Ballot. If your state doesn’t offer a tracking service, find and call your election official to confirm that the ballot was received. You can find your local election officer and their contact details on the Foundation website in the Election Official Directory or in the PDF that you generated when filling out the registration form (that’s why we suggest you keep it!).
If there is a problem, talk to your local election official. They may advise you to send a FWAB, help locate your ballot or offer other suggestions.
Spread the word about Election Month(s) and final results
In addition, voters should recognize – and share the recognition with others – that the US doesn't have an "Election Day". With absentee and early voting, "Election Month(s)" is a more accurate name. People start voting as soon as ballots start going out or early voting begins. As overseas voters know, voting by mail is safe, secure and legitimate. It's also nothing new – it started before the Civil War.
Voters also need to understand that there will be no "Election Night" – there will be "the time it takes to count a much higher volume of mail-in ballots than usual". The totals available by midnight on November 3 will be far from final – this also happened with “Election Night" in 2018, for example. Though the media make a big noise about "Election Night" and voters want to see quick results, election results are not final until all the votes have been counted and the election is certified.
This has always been the case. Previously, votes were counted much more slowly than we have become accustomed. This is one of the reasons why new representatives, senators and presidents take office so long after “Election Day”. In the past, inauguration Day was in March, not January, around four months after the elections were held. More recently, as most people will remember, the outcome of the US presidential election of 2000 took more than 30 days after “Election Day” to be determined. See the article in the New York Times by Federal Election Commission chair Ellen Weintraub and history professor Kevin Kruse: Take Some Deep Breaths and Prepare to Wait for Election Results. It will enhance the legitimacy of the election if we take the time for an accurate count.
Do all overseas voters a service and help spread the word about these facts.