Pre-Departure: Voting!

by Aaron · Published August 9, 2012 · Updated August 9, 2012

General Election 2008 Ballot from Wikimedia Commons

Well this is it! The 10 day countdown has started, and I’ve begun the final preparations to go abroad. This Pre-Departure series will have useful information about everything from ordering foreign currency to getting a global cell phone. Most of this information should be useful to any one traveling abroad, but some topics, like this one, only apply to those living abroad for an extended period of time.

Everyone in America is well aware that this is a big election year for the United States. The constant political ads on TV and online never let us forget it. A recent CNN article I read said that the number of undecided voters in America is small and shrinking (sorry, can’t find the link). So, odds are that you already know who you’re going to vote for in November. The big questions now are, how are you going to vote abroad, and in my case, how do I get a ballot without knowing where I’m going to be living?

Yesterday afternoon I went to city hall to talk with the city clerk about how I could vote in November’s election while I was overseas without know where I’d be living at the time. The process turned out to be easier than I expected! I was surprised to find out that there was a primary election in September that I didn’t know about. I’ll address that first, then move on to the general election.

Primary Election Absentee Ballot

Getting the primary election absentee ballot is probably one of the easiest things I’ve done in city hall. After giving the city clerk information to show I was a resident of my hometown she gave me a one page form to fill out. The only unexpected thing about this form was that I had to select a political party. In Massachussetts you can register to vote as an “unenrolled” voter rather than join a political party. However for primary elections you have to choose which party’s primary to vote in. You can only choose one and fortunately this has no impact on your status as an uncollected voter.

After a long chat about where I was going and the clerk’s own experience in Budapest in the 70’s, she told me that I could vote in city hall next Monday even though the election wasn’t for another month. It was very convenient and the entire process took all of 10 minutes.

General Election Absentee Ballot

This is almost as easy, but I did run into a little bit of a problem. US citizens living abroad can request an absentee ballot according to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. All you need to do is fill out an online form similar to the one I filled out for the primary ballot. It’s a little bit longer because this form is processed by the federal government so they need to figure out which Ward and Precinct you live in. The best part of this absentee ballot is that you can request that it be emailed to you! All you need to do is fill it out and sent it back. If you’re in an area that has unreliable mail service you can arrange to drop it off at a nearby embassy.

The issue I ran into was related to the primary election. There was no way to only select the general election when submitting an absentee ballot through this form. To avoid any potential conflict with voting at the city clerk’s office I’m going to wait until September before requesting an absentee ballot.

There is more specific information about absentee voting in the links below. If you’re already abroad you can fill out the forms completely online, but if you’re in your home state I recommend visiting your city clerk’s office before departing. They have an almost encyclopedic knowledge of your state’s voting laws and can direct you if you run into any issues. You also might be able to submit your ballot before you even leave! Although you technically do not need to register to vote if you are a US citizen living abroad, you do need to be aware of the deadlines to request a ballot (This information is specific to Massachusetts, your state may be different, check the links for more resources.)

State Primary Ballot Request Deadline: 12 pm, September 5, 2012
General Election Ballot Request Deadline: 12 pm, November 5, 2012