Voting For President While Traveling: State-By-State Rules

If you're a US citizen travelling out of state, you can still vote for the President by requesting an absentee ballot. This allows you to vote before Election Day by mail or drop-off. You can receive an absentee ballot by email, fax, or internet download, depending on the state you're eligible to vote in. To vote from abroad, you must register with local election officials in your state of voting residence and request an absentee ballot. You can do this by completing the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).

US citizens living outside the US can vote

Once registered, citizens can receive their blank absentee ballot electronically or by mail. This can be returned by local mail, courier service, or through the US Embassy Diplomatic Pouch. The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) can be used if the voter has not received their ballot 30 days before an election.

The voting residence address listed on the FPCA must be a US address. This is usually the last home residence lived in before leaving the US, even if there are no longer any ties to that state. If a US citizen has never lived in the US, they should use their US citizen parent's current or last US residence address.

Eligibility based on parents' last residence

If you are a US citizen living outside of the United States, you can still vote. Your eligibility to vote is based on the state where your parents last lived or were registered to vote. This is also the case for US citizens who were born abroad and have never lived in the United States.

If you are a US citizen residing outside of the US, you will need to file the overseas voter registration and ballot request form each year you intend to vote. You will need to enter your Voting Residence Address on the form. This is your address in the state in which you were last domiciled, immediately prior to leaving the United States. This address may remain valid even if you no longer own property or have other ties to that state, or if your previous address is no longer a recognised residential address.

If you are a student studying abroad, you will need to use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to request your absentee ballot. Your voting residence will continue to be your last residence prior to leaving the United States to study abroad.

If you are a US citizen who has never resided in the US, your voting rights vary by state. In some states, US citizens 18 years or older who were born abroad but have never resided in the US are eligible to vote absentee. If neither of your parents is from one of these states, it is possible that you do not currently have voting rights. However, additional states are working to pass legislation to allow citizens born overseas who have never established residency in the US to vote in the state in which their parents are eligible.

Dual citizens can vote from abroad

If you are a US citizen with dual citizenship, you can vote in US elections from overseas. US voting laws allow you to vote as a dual citizen within the US, or from another country outside of the US. The key factor is that you are a US citizen.

To vote in US elections as a dual citizen from another country, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must be 18 years old or older on the day of the election.
• You must meet your state's residency requirements.
• You must register to vote before the deadline for the election.
• You will need to file the proper overseas voter registration/ballot request form.

If you are a US citizen born abroad, you may still be able to vote from abroad. Thirty-eight (38) states and DC extend voting rights to US citizens born abroad, even if they never established residency in the US. However, it's important to note that this may vary depending on the state where your parents last lived or were registered to vote.

If you are a US citizen living abroad, you can vote by absentee ballot. Your election office will need your exact voting residence address, which is your address in the state where you last lived before leaving the US. This address is used to determine which offices and candidates you are eligible to vote for and to send you the correct ballot for your voting precinct.

Register to vote and request an absentee ballot

If you are a US citizen, you can vote in federal, state, and local elections, even if you are living outside of the United States. This includes US citizens who were born abroad and have never lived in the country. Your eligibility to vote is based on the state where your parents last lived or were registered to vote.

To register to vote and request an absentee ballot, follow these steps:

Step 1: Determine Your Voting Residence

Your voting residence is the address in the state where you were last domiciled before leaving the country. This is typically the same as your home address when you entered the military, and it is used to determine eligibility to vote in federal and state elections.

Step 2: Register to Vote and Request an Absentee Ballot

You can complete the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) online in one easy step. The FPCA serves as both your voter registration and your absentee ballot request. Make sure to submit the FPCA by your state's voter registration deadline. For the General Election, it is recommended to send in the FPCA by August 1.

Step 3: Receive and Fill Out Your Ballot

You should receive your absentee ballot by early October for the General Election. As soon as you receive it, fill it out and send it back as soon as possible. Check your state's deadline for when the ballot needs to be postmarked or received by the election office.

Step 4: Track Your Ballot

You can check if your election office has received your ballot. If there isn't enough time to receive and send back your ballot before the election, you can use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) as a backup. If you use the FWAB and your official absentee ballot arrives later, fill out and send in the official ballot as well. Only one will be counted.

Voting residence and the Federal Post Card Application

Your voting residence is the address in the state where you are domiciled and which you consider your permanent home. It is important to note that you can only have one legal voting residence at a time. Your state of legal residence is used to determine eligibility to vote in federal and state elections.

If you are a US citizen residing outside the US, you can still vote. Your voting residence will be your last residence before leaving the US. This remains valid even if you no longer have ties to that state or own property there.

If you are a student studying abroad, you can use the FPCA to request an absentee ballot. Your voting residence will be your last residence in the US before leaving for your studies. It is important to remember that the address listed on the FPCA must be a US address.

If you are a US citizen born abroad who has never resided in the US, your eligibility to vote is based on the state where your parents last lived or were registered to vote. Some states allow US citizens born abroad who are 18 years or older to vote absentee, even if their parents are not from one of these states.

Frequently asked questions