Message for U.S. Citizens: Return your Ballot for the November 3 General Elections
You now have less than 50 days until Election Day, November 3, 2020. The U.S. Embassy in Bogota is here to guide you on how to send back your voted ballot to the United States. We recommend that overseas voters return their ballots well before their state’s deadline to give ample time for the ballot to reach the United States.
If you have not yet registered as an absentee voter and requested your ballot, don’t delay! Review our prior message here for further information on this important first step.
If you do not receive your ballot with ample time to return a completed ballot to the United States, you can use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), which every state accepts in lieu of a local ballot. Voters should first attempt to obtain their ballot from their local election commission to ensure they can vote for all local elections and ballot initiatives before using the FWAB as an emergency, back-up option. For more information on the FWAB, see the video here.
Please note that each state has specific deadlines for submitting completed ballots. Those deadlines can be found on the Federal Voting Assistance Program website at www.FVAP.gov.
Once you have obtained your ballot, you have several options to return it to your state’s election commission:
- Electronic: Many states accept the electronic return of ballots. Consult your local election official website or the voter guide onwww.FVAP.govfor options for submission by fax, email, or internet for your state. We strongly recommend that you take advantage of electronic options if they are available.
- Express courier: You can send your ballot directly to your local election official via professional courier services such as FedEx, DHL, or UPS. (Note that FedEx does not deliver to P.O. Boxes.) We do not recommend using local mail services in Venezuela to send your Ballot.
For questions regarding voting assistance, please contact votebogota@state.gov.