October 5, 2020
The U.S. Embassy will have a representative in Kisangani this week available to meet with U.S. citizens and collect U.S. voting ballots for mailing to the United States. If you are a U.S. citizen in the Kisangani area interested in submitting election documents for mailing please email VoteKinshasa@state.gov for details on drop-off time and location.
What to bring
Drop your completed Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), completed ballots, and/or completed Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) in an envelope addressed to the local election office for the county in the state in which you will vote. Addresses are found in the FVAP Voting Assistance Guide by State. If you have not yet requested your ballot, you may drop both the FPCA and the FWAB at the same time since the ballot will not arrive on time.
Please print and complete the forms in advance and download and print the postage paid envelope from the FVAP.gov website. A friend or colleague may drop your forms on your behalf.
Spread the word about overseas voting and our Kisangani visit!
Please tell your U.S. citizen friends, family, and colleagues that now is the time to vote from overseas! 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%. All states are required to count every absentee ballot as long as it is valid and reaches local election officials by the absentee ballot receipt deadline (differs by state).
Steps for voting from overseas
Step 1
- Register to vote and request your ballot in one easy step. Fill out the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) and send it to your election office.
- Your voting residence (the U.S. state or territory where you are registering to vote) is likely your legal residence. Here’s how to determine your voting residence.
- Using the FPCA ensures that your state will send your ballot to you at least 45 days before the election — a protection not guaranteed when using other forms.
Step 2 (Even if you have not yet received your ballot)
- Fill out and send in your ballot when it arrives.
- For the general election, you should receive your ballot by early October.
- Vote and send back your ballot as soon as you receive it. Check the deadline for your ballot based on your state. The recommended vote-by day for the 2020 General Election is October 13, 2020, if you’re outside the U.S.
- If you requested your ballot but haven’t received it, contact your election office to ask about the status of your ballot request.
- If there isn’t enough time to receive and send back your ballot before the election, use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB). It works like a backup ballot. If your official absentee ballot arrives after sending in the FWAB, fill out and send in the official ballot too. Only one will be counted.
- After you send in your ballot, you can check if it was received by your election office.
Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) website, FVAP.gov. If you have questions about voting from the DRC, please contact U.S. Embassy Kinshasa’s Voting Assistance Officer at VoteKinshasa@state.gov.
