Voting abroad as an American living in France

Voting abroad as an American is something that does not need to be complicated nor fancy. It’s that time of the year and this year is a big one, it’s a presidential vote. As an American living abroad, I still have the right to vote in local, state, and federal elections (just as much as I have the right to file my taxes… still). You’ll want to check your state requirements for registering to vote as well as requesting your absentee ballot.

Register to Vote

First things first, you’ll want to make sure you are registered to vote. You’ll you need to check by your home state, which will tell you how to register (or update if needed) as well as all the deadlines and details to keep in mind for the upcoming election.

If you’re new around here, I’m from Ohio, so I went to Ohio’s election website to check to see if I need to register or if I’m good to go. Since I’ve voted in past elections, I also have the contact to my local BOE and decided to email them directly and ask. For Ohio, the deadline to register to vote by was Monday, October 7, 2024.

In order to register to vote from abroad, if you have not already done so, you’ll simply need your driver’s license or state ID to register. If you do not have either of these, like me, you can use your US passport, passport card, or any other type of US-issued government ID. You’ll want to check with your home state to see what they accept in terms of forms of ID. When you register to vote or if you update your information, you will be mailed a voter registration card.

The first time I made sure to register for an absentee ballot, I went through Vote From Abroad, which submitted my request via the FPCA (Federal Post Card Application) to my local BOE office, to which I received a confirmation email from Ashland County that the post card was received and my information updated.

Requesting your ballot

If you are already registered to vote, you’ll need to request your ballot. You can check out the Federal Voting Assistance Program online to request your ballot. If you’ve registered to vote, then your ballot should automatically be coming to you and you won’t need to do anything. If you’re like me, I emailed my local BOE and made sure they would be sending my ballot out to me. You can do the request process online or you can print out the form and mail it in. These days, most local offices have an online application and this is the quickest and easiest way to get your information in on a timely manner.

Receiving your ballot & filling it out

Again, depending on your state rules, you’ll either received your ballot electronically by email, where you’ll have to download and print out the ballot or you’ll get a paper copy by snail mail. You can expect to see something at least 45 days out from the general election date.

When you’re ready to fill in your ballot sheet, make sure that you read the rules that come with it very carefully, especially the return address. You’ll want to make sure that you’ve filled out your ballot correctly (making sure those circles are filled in and darkened properly) for it to be counted. You won’t want to miss any signature spots, contact information bits, or any corner left unturned.

Sending your ballot back

When you’ve triple and quadruple checked your ballot and you’re ready to send it in the mail, you’ll want to make sure you’re following the instructions for mailing it back. You’ll want to check with your local BOE how they prefer you sending it back, mine is always by the post. If you’re sending your ballot by the post, you’ll need to make sure that you have enough in postage (international) to send your envelope. Unfortunately, it is not free if you are mailing from abroad. You’ll need to follow your state’s guidelines for when the ballot needs to be received in order to be counted.

Need Help?

If you’re in Paris or France, you can check out the US Embassy in Paris, the US Consulate General in Marseille and Strasbourg if you have any questions. They offer services either online or via the phone. If you are looking to go in-person, you will need to check if they require an appointment ahead of time or not.

Unfortunately, there are no polling places offered outside of the United States, you must mail in your ballot.