Voting From Indonesia
We strongly encourage all eligible voters to request your ballot so you can vote in the primaries and the general election for Congress, and Senate. Primaries are happening soon, and the general election is coming in November. Remember that your vote CAN BE THE DECIDING VOTE.
Note that in order to vote this year you must request your ballot THIS YEAR, by filing an FPCA (Federal Post Card Application) form — doing so in a previous year does not count — to ensure your vote will be counted in this year’s elections. Even if you have already received your ballot from your election official!!
But voting from here is a very simple process now, thanks to recent voting law changes and some very helpful websites that do most of the work for you. There’s just 2 basic steps, so see below. If you’ve already completed the first part and you’re ready to cast your ballot go here. You can also find detailed answers to almost any voting questions here,
[We’ll be adding more voting info here as elections near to ensure you are able to easily navigate the voting from abroad process — stay tuned, or better yet — sign up for our email bulletins]
1. Start the Voting Process: Requesting Your Ballot with an FPCA (Federal Post Card Application)
If you’re ready to fill out the form to request your ballot, just click here — the VoteFromAbroad.org website will do the work for you. All you’ll need other than your identifying information, is your last US residence address. Do be sure to check the “Email/Online” box so your ballot will be sent by email. [The US government website FVAP.gov can also be used for this purpose, though many find it misleading and it is not as helpful as VoteFromAbroad.org.] But if you have some questions first, read on:
Is voting from here really worthwhile?
Yes. There are an estimated 9 million Americans living overseas, more than the population of 34 states! Remember some recent elections, e.g. Al Franken won his Senate seat in Minnesota by 312 votes, and the 537 votes in Florida that sent George Bush to the White House in 2000?
Is my vote really counted?
Yes. By law, every properly executed absentee ballot must be counted before a final vote count can be certified.
Do I really need to file an FPCA this year, even if my election official sent me ...?
Yes, in order to be assured that your vote will count. The recent MOVE Act requires all overseas voters to request their ballot each election year. And that includes you even if you’ve already received a ballot from your election official.
Will voting cause me tax troubles?
Voting in US Federal elections does not affect the determination of tax liability or tax residence. You will not hear from the IRS because you voted in a Federal election, i.e. President, Senate, or House of Representatives. But note that voting in state and local elections can potentially affect state and local tax status. You should seek expert advice before voting in state or local elections.
Can I vote from here?
Yes, if you are over 18, a US citizen, and are abroad for whatever reason when voting is to be done. Even if you’ve never lived in the US, you can vote in all Federal elections using the last residence of your parents. —
see details of your states requirements here.
I still have a US residence and will be back in the US at election time, so ...
If you are not 100% certain you will be there to vote on voting day or in time for casting an absentee ballot, we still recommend you either request an absentee ballot from your local election office or file the ballot request FPCA now. It will allow you to vote in case your plans change.
Is voting from here complex?
No, thanks to recent law changes and some nice websites that automate the process, voting is actually a very simple process:
- you go to www.VoteFromAbroad.org and answer a few questions about your address abroad and in the US. This will generate an FPCA (Federal Post Card Application) form, that constitutes your request.
- For most states, you will be finished filing your voter registration or ballot request since VoteFromAbroad allows you to sign and transmit the form (FVAP.gov does not offer this capability). For some states you might need print out, sign, scan and email (a very-few states require mailing) the form to your local election official.
- you will receive a ballot about 45 days before any election, which you fill out and return as instructed. If you don’t receive one by 30 days before, you can submit a FWAB (Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot) — you can do that from VoteFromAbroad.org
- If you have received a timely ballot request form from your local election official, you should use that instead of the FWAB, being careful to follow the instructions.
But what state/county do I vote in?
The answer is simple: you vote using the last address in the US where you resided or now reside, even if you never voted there before. If you never lived in the US see the answer above about “Can I vote from here?”.
If you need to know your Congressional District,
you can find that here.
When do I need to do all this?
You need to file your ballot request/registration form in plenty of time to give your election official time to get you a timely ballot. So do it now.
Deadlines and related info for each state can be found here.
What info do I need in order to fill out the voting forms?
All you need is some very basic information:
- Your name, last US address, birth date, and either state driver’s license number or last 4 digits of your Social Security number
- Your present overseas address and/or where you would like a ballot sent. Be sure to specify that you want it sent by “email/online”.
- Your phone number, email address or fax number if you have them
- Whether you are abroad “indefinitely” (i.e. without any firm plans to move back to the US) or whether you do have plans to move back
That’s it!
What's the best way to have my ballot sent to me?
We highly recommend getting your ballot by email or fax; by post is much slower. Note that question on the FPCA form is just for how you want to receive your BALLOT, and not about returning it. So there’s no real reason to worry about fraud in this case.
Can I use my smart phone to do this?
Yes,
www.VoteFromAbroad.org supports filling in the form using your iPhone or Android phone with an internet browser.
Afterwards can I verify that I am really properly registered?
Probably yes, though it’s state dependent.
Check here if you want to do this.
What's the best way to send my completed FPCA?
Now most states allow you to send the FPCA to your local election official online or via email or fax– see instructions on where to send to that you get from VoteFromAbroad.org. If in doubt about where to send to,
check here or
contact us.
If my state requires me to mail my ballot or other voting material, what is the best way to do that?
IF you need to mail your FPCA or your ballot, you can use the consular mailing service available in US Consulates — get it to one of them (Bali, Surabaya, Jakarta). But note that you need to follow all the mailing instructions and use US stamps or a postage-paid envelope (see here if you need help printing the postage-paid envelope), and everything properly addressed including your return address. Plan on about 4-6 weeks any way you choose for mailing. And of course you can use the more expensive EMS or FedEx/DHL/… services if you want.
OK? If you still have some questions you might check here for some facts. Or if you’re still perplexed about something, contact us and we’ll get back with you.
Otherwise now just go to www.VoteFromAbroad.org and in 5-10 minutes, you’ll have your completed FPCA (Federal Post Card Application) all ready to be signed, dated, and mailed in per the instructions. Then you’re all set!
2. Casting Your Ballot
If you’ve properly requested your ballot as per above, you should receive a ballot from your election official about 45 days before any election this year. Fill it out and return it being sure to follow instructions carefully.
If you don’t receive your ballot by 30 days before the election, you should fill out a FWAB (Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot), again easily done at www.VoteFromAbroad.org in a few minutes, fill it in, sign and date it, and send it back per instructions.
And if you have questions:
When are elections that I can vote in?
Each state has different dates for primary elections, see here for yours. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2020. All US expats can vote in all Federal elections (President, Senate, Congress). You should ensure your ballot is returned by that date, though some states allow a few more days grace for overseas ballots. Primary election dates depend on the state.
What do I do if I do not get my ballot?
If your ballot hasn’t arrived 30 days before the election, you should vote a FWAB (Federal WriteIn Absentee Ballot). If you used VoteFromAbroad.org to generate your FPCA, you may already have the FWAB form in the pdf file they produced. If not you can go there and generate it quickly. There you should write in your choices at least for President/Vice President, Senate (if there’s a Senate race in your state), and Congressional. You can see the candidates to vote on by going here
. Note that many states now allow you to email or fax your ballot back. But be sure you follow instructions carefully. Contact us for further help.
Where can I get info on candidates and issues on my ballot?
There are several sources of unbiased and reliable information on candidates and issues for elections virtually everywhere.
- Project Vote Smart has a great site for this
- And of course you can check your favorite political party or candidates sites themselves for information, as well as your local government websites and offices.
What's the best way to return my ballot?
If your state allows you to return your ballot by email or fax, might need to scan it. That’s preferable over mailing it back since mailing is very slow.
See here for how to do either scan or fax with your smart phone.
For states that require you to return the physical ballot (20 states in 2020 so require), you have less time to get it back. Airmail from Indonesia is not currently (2020) supported, seamail takes much too long, so you need other options. If you know someone going back to the US who will mail it for you, you can do that — it doesn’t have to be sent from here. The US Consulates and Embassy will send them back for you if you have proper postage on them (or using a supplied postage-paid envelope) — takes about 4-6 weeks. And of course you can use the more expensive EMS or FedEx/DHL/… services if you want. (See here if you need help printing the postage-paid envelope.) Contact us if you need help with mailing. Sign up for our email bulletins and we’ll keep you informed.)
If you still have some questions you might see this excellent video. Or if you’re still perplexed about something, contact us and we’ll get back with you.
3. Now What?
Pat yourself on the back for doing your part in our democracy — this is a vital step that each of us should take. If this helped you, please consider telling any other American you know here about us — just click the little email envelope button in the upper right below the Borobodur statue. Do note that many elections are won by just a handful of votes., so your vote is important. Remember the 2000 presidential election and the 2008 nip and tuck battle that Senator Al Franken of Minnesota won by a handful of votes. So be sure you complete the voting process and encourage other Americans here to vote also — we’ll help make the process painless.
See your state’s voting deadlines and requirements
Links
Below are some important voting-related websites that you might find useful.
- VoteFromAbroad.org — a great website to guide you through the process so you can quickly register, request a ballot, or vote even if you didn’t receive your ballot.
- OverseasVoteFoundation.org — another great website to guide you through the process so you can quickly register, request a ballot, or vote even if you didn’t receive your ballot.
- DemocratsAbroad.org — the overseas branch of the Democratic Party that supplies lots of information and guidance for Americans abroad as well as championing expat causes, e.g. US tax and immigration policies aimed at expats.
- MyDistrict — find out which Congressional District you vote in — it’s likely different from the 2010 one.
- Vote Smart — source of a lot of solid, unbiased info on candidates, the voting procedures, rules, …
And we are ready to help with any voting questions you may have — use our Contact form and direct it to Voting and we’ll get back to you.
