There are approximately 4.4 million overseas Americans, and about 2.8 of them are of voting age. Citizens living abroad can use absentee voting to cast their ballot, in some cases, even if they have never lived in the United States.

This right to vote is thanks to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986, which allows military members and their eligible family, and other overseas citizens to vote in absentia in federal elections.

As expected, it is more complicated for Americans living abroad to vote than for those living in the United States. They have to make sure they update their voter registration, and explicitly request an absentee ballot.

They must also follow their particular state’s guidelines on how election paperwork can be sent and received. This could be a problem for some expats who live in areas which may not have the required technology on hand.

Long mailing times can also be a concern, which is why they must vote earlier than those based in the U.S. in order for their votes to be received by set deadlines.

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How military personnel and expatriates vote overseas

After making sure they are registered to vote, military and overseas voters must request their election materials. They do this by completing the online voter registration application or the Federal Post Card Application.

When completing either of these applications, they can choose to have their ballot and the accompanying Military or Overseas Voter Return Envelope mailed, faxed, or emailed to them. They may even be able to download them from their county elections official’s website.

They can mail or fax their completed FPCA to their county elections official. If the FPCA is mailed, postage is pre-paid in the U.S. mail, including the Military Postal System and State Department Pouch mail.

If they’re already registered to vote and are only submitting an FPCA to register as a military or overseas voter, they can email the completed and signed FPCA to their county elections official.

They must then return their voted ballot and signed Military or Overseas Voter Return Envelope to their county elections official following the Secretary of State’s online instructions under “Mailing Addresses and Fax Numbers for Military or Overseas Voters”.

Their voted ballot and signed return envelope must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by their county elections office no later than seven days after Election Day.