Thousands of U.S. citizens residing in or visiting Mexico will cast absentee ballots in November’s general election.
While the U.S. Consulate General in Guadalajara remains strictly non-partisan, foreign service officers promise to do all within their mandate to assist U.S. citizens in this region to fulfill their democratic right to vote.
For this reason, additional officers will be making the trip to the Lake Chapala area for the Consulate’s regular outreach sessions next week to answer questions and collect absentee ballots and ballot requests for dispatch to the United States.
As in previous elections, the Consulate is allowing citizens to make use of its “diplomatic pouch” to send ballots to the United States, where they will be deposited in the regular postal system.U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad in the Guadalajara/Chapala/Puerto Vallarta area have several options to help them register, request absentee ballots and cast their votes, including websites such as votefromabroad.org and knowledgeable volunteers from local political organizations such as Democrats Abroad, Republicans Abroad and the Lakeside Tea Party.
However, the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) administers the federal responsibilities of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986. Its website, www.fvap.gov, provides complete information on the absentee voting process, including the deadlines for voting in each state and the facility to register to vote and request ballots.
Citizens Services Unit officer Thomas Bollati, who will be making the trip to Chapala and Ajijic on Wednesday, October 3, urges citizens not to wait until the last minute to mail their votes. He reminds voters that for ballots to be counted they must be postmarked in the United States by November 6. “If we receive a ballot on November 5 we will stamp it as being received at the consulate on this date. But that may not be enough for a local board of elections to count the vote if it does not have a U.S. postmark prior to the deadline date.”
Delivery of the diplomatic pouch usually takes from two to three days, he added.
If the absentee ballot does not come with pre-paid return postage, the sender must supply the necessary U.S. stamps, he noted.
If required, the Consulate can provide back-up ballots, known as the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), which can be cast by voters who “have made a timely application for but have not received their regular ballot from the state or territory.” These may be downloaded from the FVAP website, as well as www.votefromabroad.org.
Bollati notes that these ballots have a write-in space that permit the voters to cast their preferences in the relevant congressional elections in addition to the presidential race, as well as any applicable ballot propositions.
All ballots and requests for ballots may be left for mailing at the U.S. Consulate General in Guadalajara, located on Progreso 175, Colonia Americana. Hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Take identification for security purposes.
Bollati says while consulate staff will provide all the help they are permitted to, they cannot personally check ballots or requests for accuracy. For more information call (33) 3268-2200 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Consulate officers will be available for consultation at the American Legion Post Seven in Chapala (Morelos 114) between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. and at the Lake Chapala Society in Ajijic (16 de Septiembre 16-A) from 10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 3.
A box will be set up in both locations for U.S. citizens to deposit their absentee ballots/requests for ballots for mailing.
The Consulate’s next outreach visit to expatriates at Lakeside will be on November 7.
IT WON’T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE...
Who says your vote won’t count. Twelve years ago in Florida, George W. Bush defeated Democrat Al Gore by 0.00901 percent – 537 votes out of 5,962,657 cast – after a second hand recount was halted by the U.S. Supreme Court.