Message for U.S. Citizens: September 2020 Voting Update

September 18, 2020

Mail your ballots now to ensure they arrive in time to be counted. 

Ballots mailed through the Embassy’s diplomatic pouch take from 2-4 weeks to arrive in the United States, and then take additional time to process through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), and the USPS notes potential mail delays this year. As such, you should plan to send your ballots for the upcoming general elections at the earliest opportunity

To mail your ballot from the Embassy, bring your sealed, addressed, postage-paid envelope to the consular section from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, excluding Embassy holidays. No appointment is needed! Do not drop off your ballot with guards at the Embassy’s front gate; come inside the Embassy and hand-deliver it to consular staff. Make sure your ballot is placed in a postage paid return envelope or envelope bearing sufficient domestic U.S. postage, and addressed to relevant local election officials.  If you are unable to bring the ballot in person, another person can bring your sealed ballot to the Embassy on your behalf.

My ballot hasn’t arrived yet.  What should I do?

If your ballot does not arrive in time, you can use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) as a backup ballot and mail it from the Embassy. You can access the FWAB here. If your official absentee ballot arrives after sending in the FWAB, complete and send in the official ballot as well. Your state will count only one.

I didn’t request my ballot yet.  How do I get my ballot?

Register to vote at FVAP.gov and make sure to request to receive your ballot electronically so that you can complete and submit it in time. If your state does not provide ballots electronically, register to vote anyway, and then complete a FWAB, as above.

If you have further questions about voting overseas, please email ACSRangoon@state.gov.

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