Last updated on January 21, 2024 by Shannon
When I first decided to travel abroad, I booked my flights on election day 2008 (whoops!). Given that Florida offers a week of early voting, I was luckily able to cast my vote at the polling place before I left.
Voting early allowed me to avoid the hassle of voting from abroad. I proudly wore my “I voted” sticker all day long and was pleased that my travels didn’t prevent me from partaking in democracy.
Fast forward 15 years and I never moved back to the U.S. full time—I instead have voted while traveling or living abroad in every general U.S. election since then.
Can you vote from abroad if you’re traveling?
I’ve voted while traveling as a Florida resident for more than a decade, and let me tell you—it’s tricky! It’s way harder than it should be for a U.S. citizen to ensure their vote is counted if they can’t be physically present in the state.
Unless you’re an expat living abroad, across all U.S. states, the easiest course of action is to vote by mail or via early voting before you leave to travel.
But that’s just not always possible. For a decade, I was rarely home during state and national elections, so even early voting didn’t help me much. I’ve had to pay a lot of money to have my parents overnight me my absentee ballot, and that’s probably been the most effective way to vote while traveling abroad.
At least until I moved to Barcelona, Spain and now have a permanent address on file with my local officials. That has allowed me to now receive status as an overseas resident and I actually vote my fax. I receive my early voting ballot via email, then fax it back.
Voting is important. It’s our right to vote. People around the world die casting their votes in politically-charged places. Soldiers have died to give you and me the right to vote. I won’t go full patriotic, but no matter which candidates are on the ballots, it’s our duty to make a reasoned choice on who will best move the country in the direction we feel best fits with the tenets of what it means to be an American.
So, if you are living abroad or traveling abroad as an American during the elections, let’s take a quick look at what you’ll need to do to cast your ballot. If you’re British, this link covers that process for you.
Is it hard to vote while traveling overseas?
There was a time when this was tricky. It once involved mailing your ballot to someplace in the world, then you had to hope the local postal system delivered the ballot in time.
Once it was in your hands, you then had to cast your vote and once again fling it out into the world and hope it was returned to your state in time to be counted as an absentee ballot.
Now, you can still request mail-in ballots, or you can get one mailed to you, or you can download it and print. But not every state offers all of these options. But there are options, that’s the point.
Below I’ve collected the pertinent information and links you need.
Should You Vote While Traveling or Living Overseas?
Yes. No matter how long you’ve lived overseas or if you’re a digital nomad traveling abroad, if you’re an American citizen, then you are able to cast a vote in your state and federal elections.
That said, for those filing taxes in the U.S. as a non-citizen, there can be repercussions from voting. If your state has a state-tax, voting may signal to the state that you should be paying that tax on your foreign income. This policy varies from state to state, so do your research so you don’t have surprises on April 15th next year.
But you also should understand the exact policy for your state, or the state where you last held a driver’s license. If you no longer live in your state, you may still qualify since you have been a registered voter previously out of that state.
If you are already traveling overseas long-term and are not registered to vote, start the registration process right now.
If you hope to vote via absentee ballot, that can take time to process the request—the earlier you start, the better chance you have of receiving all of the right information.
And if you’re asking about voting from that fatalistic point of view about, “Does it even make a difference” — yes. Vote. I don’t much care even who you side with, so long as you do the research and make a reasoned and thoughtful choice about who you think is the best of the available candidates to lead our country.
How U.S. Travelers Can Vote From Abroad, Step-by-Step
Before you leave the U.S., there are a few things you should do. Sure, some of them may be available online, but it’s far easier to execute most of these while your stateside so you don’t need an embassy appointment and the headache of extra paperwork.
1. Register to vote.
If you’re not a registered voter in the U.S., it’s easy to register to vote at your local DMV or election office. This in-person registration is fast and free.
If you’re already abroad, then you can download and print the forms. Fill it all out and then mail it to your local election office.
The Federal Voting Assistance Program’s site is also very handy for voter registration and easily leads you through the process.
If you’re unsure of where you should register, start looking at the rules for the last place you lived in the U.S.—that’s your starting point. If you’re not sure if you’re a registered voter, check via this handy website.
2. Check your travel dates.
Many U.S. states and counties offer early voting. If your vacation lands near the election dates, check your local county’s website to verify when they open the early voting.
This can be as early as two weeks in person, a month or more for absentee ballots, or as few as two days before the election. And some states offer no early voting.
This calendar is a handy starting point to see when each state holds early voting—it will tell you if your state offers early voting and when it starts and ends.
To really dig into the it though, you should use this directory of election offices to find your county election office since voting even within a state can vary between counties.
3. Register to vote absentee.
Use the FVAP government site to submit your name for absentee voting. Military personnel and their spouses are eligible, as are any U.S. citizens living outside of the U.S.
The application process is different for each state, so use the website’s dropdown menus to easily navigate the process. It might seem daunting but it’s actually a cinch to register for an absentee ballot.
There are also several nonpartisan sites helping streamline the overseas voting process, of the handful, Vote From Abroad is the most user-friendly.
If you have an overseas address, that really streamlines the process since it’s clear proof you are residing abroad.
NOTE: Even if you have previously registered to vote absentee, you have to renew that request every major election cycle in some places—Florida changed that rule recently and I almost missed an election because I had been voting absentee for 15 years and never had to renew anything. Now I have to request a new absentee ballot every time.
4. Mark your calendars with voter deadlines.
Once you’re registered, your state should send you an electronic or paper ballot before the elections. But glitches happen, and spam folders happen too. Mark the dates of your state’s voter deadlines so that you don’t miss them. Then you’ll know when to check your inbox for missed emails, or to followup with your state election officials.
If it’s past the date when you should have received your ballot, then you may need to file an emergency vote. All states send out ballots 30-45 days before the election. If it’s less than 30 days out, you need to go with the contingency plan. This means filing a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, which can also be done online.
5. Send in your ballot.
Each state’s absentee ballot rules differ, so know your state’s rules before you set out on the road. Some states allow a completely electronic absentee ballot. Others require it printed and mailed. Still others request the original faxed. Ensure that you are looking at details for your specific state when you send in your ballot.
Then read all of the fine print again so you understand where to sign, which supporting documents to include—I fax a copy of my U.S Florida’s drivers license on the cover sheet where I’ve signed and dated my absentee ballot.
Know that the nearest U.S. consulate or embassy can help you mail your ballot if you’re in a pinch and relying on questionable local postal systems.
For the official word on all of this, the U.S. government’s “Vote From Abroad” page is the most relevant spot—head there if any links above don’t work, or if you need more information.
I truly hope you take the time to apply for your passport. Although some states have a few hoops you have to jump through, it’s worth the small hassle to exercise your right to vote.
~S