AMERICAN CITIZENS SERVICES

Voting (Absentee)

We strongly encourage you to register to vote and/or request absentee ballots as early in an election year as possible to ensure that you will receive all ballots for which you are eligible. Should questions or problems occur, you would still be able to address them in time to vote in the general elections.

The following is the basic absentee voting process:

• You complete an application form.  If you want your ballot sent to you in Nicaragua, you must write your Nicaraguan mailing address in block four of this form.
  
• You send it to local election officials in the United States.  For state-by-state instructions and to locate the address, fax and/or email address for your local election officials, click here.  
  
• The local official approves your request, or contacts you for further information.
  
• The local official sends you an absentee ballot.
  
• You vote the ballot and send it back in time to meet your state's deadline.
  
  

The official U.S. Government website for overseas absentee voting assistance is the Federal Voting Assistance Program website at www.fvap.gov. It has a wealth of information about absentee voting, including the downloadable absentee ballot application, state-specific instructions for completing the form, links to state and local officials, and a downloadable emergency ballot.

Though you cannot have your ballots sent to the U.S. Embassy address, the U.S. Embassy is pleased to send your application form and your signed ballot, free of charge, to your local election official.  A postage-paid envelope template, valid if you are sending your voting materials through the Embassy (or through the U.S postal system), is available here.

Each state has different voting procedures. Information about your state's procedures is available here.  Information about your state's deadlines to register and vote, as well as calendar of election dates, is available here.

States sometimes make last-minute changes. There may be late changes to your state's voting calendar, procedures or deadlines. When these occur, the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) will issue a News Release. News Releases are available here.

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 Federal Voting Assistance Program website at http://www.fvap.gov/links/electionlinks.html, or choose any one of several search engines to locate articles and information.

The Voting Assistance Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua is available to answer questions about absentee voting. To contact the Voting Assistance Officer, send an email to ACS.Managua@state.gov.