Take Action to Ensure Your Vote!
Absentee Ballots
The right to vote is the basis for any democracy. People in the military and U.S. citizens living overseas have the right to cast a ballot and have their vote counted. This section provides information about voting while away from home for members of the armed forces and individuals living overseas.
Do you know that many U.S. elections have been decided by a margin smaller than the number of ballots cast by absentee voters? Some states are restricting voter access and absentee balloting, so take action to ensure that your vote counts!
Here is a short video about voting from abroad.
Follow a few simple steps to make sure that you can vote in your state’s elections:
1. Request Your Ballot
Complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). You must complete a new FPCA every year after January 1st to ensure you receive your election ballot. Completing the FPCA allows you to request absentee ballots for all elections during the calendar year it is submitted. All local election officials in all U.S. states and territories accept the FPCA.
You can complete the FPCA online at FVAP.gov. The online voting assistant will ask you questions specific to your state. Please ask your local election officials to deliver your blank ballots electronically (by email, internet download, or fax, depending on your state). Include your email address on your FPCA to take advantage of the electronic ballot delivery option. Return the FPCA per the instructions on the website. FVAP.gov will tell you if your state allows the FPCA to be returned electronically or if you must submit a paper copy with an original signature. Please see below for mailing options if you must return a paper version.
2. Receive and Complete Your Ballot
States are required to send out ballots 45 days before a regular election. For most states, you can confirm your registration and ballot delivery online.
3. Return Your Completed Ballot
Some states allow you to return your completed ballot electronically; others do not. If your state requires you to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials, you can do so free of charge at the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Place your ballots in postage-paid return envelopes or envelopes bearing sufficient domestic U.S. postage and address them to the relevant local election officials.
Forms and ballots may be submitted at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City Monday- Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City is located at:
305 Paseo de la Reforma,
Colonia Cuauhtemoc,
06500, Mexico D.F.
Alternatively, envelopes may be dropped off at your closest Consular Agency.
The Consular Agency in Acapulco is located at:
Hotel Continental Emporio
Av. Costera Miguel Aleman 121, Local 14
Acapulco, Guerrero, C.P. 39670
Forms and ballots may be submitted in Acapulco Monday- Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
The Consular Agency in Oaxaca is located at:
Macedonio Alcala No. 407, Interior 20
C.P. 6800, Oaxaca, Oaxaca
Forms and ballots may be submitted in Oaxaca Monday- Thursday between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
The Consular Agency in San Miguel de Allende is located at:
Plaza la Luciernaga, Libramiento
Jose Manuel Zavala No. 65, Loc 4 y 5
Colonia La Luciernaga
C/P/ 37745, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
Forms and ballots may be submitted in San Miguel de Allende Monday-Thursday between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
Sending Ballots through International Mail
If it is more convenient for you, you can also return your FPCA or ballot to your local election officials via international mail or professional courier service at your own expense.
Researching the Candidates and Issues: Online Resources
Check out the FVAP links page for helpful resources to aid your research on candidates and issues. Non-partisan information about candidates, voting records, and issue positions are widely available and accessible online. You can also read national and hometown newspapers online or search the internet to locate articles and information. For information about election dates and deadlines, subscribe to FVAP’s Voting Alerts (vote@fvap.gov). FVAP also shares Voting Alerts via Facebook and Twitter.
Learn more about the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) website, FVAP.gov.
If you have questions about registering to vote overseas, please get in touch with Mexico City’s Voting Assistance Officer at (555) 080-2000 or votemexicocity@state.gov.
