With the United States presidential election barely four weeks away, time is running short for American citizens living abroad to cast their votes by absentee ballot.
With that in mind, the U.S. Consulate General in Guadalajara is promoting Absentee Voting Week among citizens residing in the Lake Chapala area and other places within the western Mexico consular district.
Vice Consul Tom Bollati took part in the consulate’s regular monthly outreach in the lakeside area Wednesday, October 3, manning a voting assistance table at Chapala’s American Legion Post 7 and the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) in Ajijic. He set up an aptly decorated box to collect completed absentee ballots for rapid dispatch to U.S. election officials in all 50 states via the consulate’s diplomatic pouch. He also came armed with a supply of generic voter registration and absentee ballot application forms and a head full of essential information on voting from Mexico.
Dozens of expats showed up with their ready-to-go ballots in hand. But even at this late date, a surprising number appeared for guidance on registering and obtaining their ballots.
“The federal voter assistance program is designed to streamline the voting process,” Bollati explained. “We can provide forms and explain the basic guidelines, but cannot fill out the voter’s applications or ballots. Every state has distinctive requirements and procedures, so the onus is on the voter to follow the specific instructions that may apply.”
Bollati notes that the consulate sends out a diplomatic pouch three times per week, giving voters several more weeks to meet deadlines for their respective states. According to Democrats Abroad volunteer Madelyn Fisher, lakeside residents still have until October 23 to drop off completed absentee ballots at LCS for special delivery to the consulate. Meanwhile the organization is offering last-minute non-partisan voting assistance on Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at LCS and Wednesday, 10 to noon at Salvador’s Restaurant, Plaza Bugambilias.
Voters may also take properly packaged absentee ballots directly to the consulate, handing them over to guards standing watch at the entrance gate on Calle Lopez Cotilla. The envelopes are subject to limited security screening before going into the diplomatic pouch.
The consulate will repeat the voter assistance program Friday, October 5 on the campus of the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara (UAG) to attend foreign students enrolled there.
The U.S. consular agency located in Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit is also facilitating absentee voting for residents in the Puerto Vallarta area. For details, call (322) 222-0069 or (322) 223-3301 or direct e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) website at www.FVAP.gov. The voting assistance officer at the U.S. Consulate Guadalajara fields voter questions called in to telephone (33) 3268-2200, extension 2273 or via e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..