New absentee voting laws are in effect for the 2012 elections in the United States. Voters will no longer automatically receive ballots based on a previous absentee ballot request.
All U.S. citizens outside of the United States who want to vote by absentee ballot in the 2012 primary and general elections must complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) every year if they wish to vote from abroad. You can obtain a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) at the FVAP website. States are now required to send out ballots 45 days before an election. No matter what state you vote in, you can now ask your local election officials to provide your blank ballots to you electronically (by email, internet download or fax, depending upon your state. You can now also confirm your registration and ballot delivery on-line. Be sure to include your email address on the form to take advantage of the electronic ballot delivery option. This is the fastest and most reliable way to receive your ballot on time and the United States Consulate in Guadalajara strongly recommends that every overseas voter take advantage of it.
Beginning in January and February of 2012 presidential primaries will be held in the states of New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Wisconsin, Arizona and Michigan. Other states will follow throughout the spring and summer. Voter deadlines for primaries are as early as the beginning of January 2012.
Remember that your vote counts. Many U.S. elections within the past ten years have been decided by a margin of victory of less than 0.1 percent. All states are required to count every absentee ballot as long as it’s valid and reaches local election officials by the absentee receipt deadline.
Learn more about the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) and get your FDCA on the website, www.FVAP.gov. If you have any questions about registering to vote overseas, contact the United States Consulate General’s Voting Assistance Officer in Guadalajara at (33) 3268-2173 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..