Election Day is
Nov. 3, 2020.
- Deadlines for overseas US citizens to register and to vote vary by state.
- In some states, the deadline to register and vote is Nov. 2 (yes you read correctly, Nov 2).
- You’ll see your state’s deadlines in one of the first steps below.
Once you begin the online form, if you leave it for 15 minutes, it closes out. So start and finish the generated PDF file in one sitting. Let’s roll!
Go to FVAP.gov
Click on “Request your Ballot Now.”
Scroll down and click “I Accept.”
Choose your state by clicking on the tiny arrow button to open the drop box of state names. OR Click your state on the map. Click “Next.”
Choose your voting jurisdiction. Click on the tiny arrow to open the drop down.
Then select your jurisdiction or county, and click “Next.”
Note: Don’t know your voting jurisdiction? Click the link displayed in pic below to find it. This link takes you to your state’s election website. Some are clearer, some confusing.
After you enter your jurisdiction click “Next.” You will arrive on the page in the pic below to enter your classification which is probably one of the bottom three. Pick a “Classification” and then click “Next.”
Fill in your personal and contact information. Then click “Next.”
Next is your U.S. voting residence. If you don’t have one, use your parents’ or siblings’ address. You will need the correct zip code.
Fill in your current mailing address in Israel, even though you’ll be doing the whole voting process by email. Skip “Forwarding Address” unless you have reason to add one.
Ask for your ballot via email. Regular mail can be too slow. Double check your telephone number, fax number if you have, and email(s).
Choose whether you wish future election materials to be sent to you. We recommend selecting “All Elections for which I am eligible” so you can influence in other important elections like congressional seats. Click “Next.”
A Review page will open. Look it over. Anything red, click that section’s “edit.” When all is right, click “Next.”
Finally! Here’s the file to print! Click on “Download PDF Package.” [You can skip Step 2 about printing envelopes if you’re voting by email. If you are voting by regular mail, then you’ll need to download and print the envelopes and navigate those instructions on your own.]
Once you print the PDF package, you’ll need to sign and date the pages that you are required to email to the voting office. Then scan those pages and send to the voting office email that is provided in your package. Each State/County’s email is different. DO NOT SCAN THE INSTRUCTIONS PAGES. Only scan the pages that they mark as required to send in.
You can use Adobe Reader’s “Fill and Sign” or similar functionality in Mac to fill in any blanks if still necessary. But best to print it, physically sign it, date it and then scan it and email it.
YOU FINISHED! Here is some more info that you may want: Your PDF package will also include the correct telephone number for you to contact your specific election office. For example, to confirm they received your application and it was properly filled in. They can tell you when to expect to receive your ballot.
Each state’s Secretary of State will have a website to help voters. There likely will be a page with a tool to check your voting registration status.
HAPPY VOTING!!! 🇺🇸
Here’s a quote from Oliner’s article:
…How could Americans in Israel neglect to perform their civic duty this time around? How can they not have hakarat hatov – gratefulness – to President Trump for all the good he has done for the two countries they love?
Even Israelis from firmly red and blue states have to cast ballots. Their votes may not end up making a difference in the electoral college, but they will be counted by the Trump campaign as the ultimate thank you note.
Their ballots could also end up helping key local races and perhaps will be the deciding votes that enable the Republican Party to maintain control of the Senate. If Americans in Israel voted four years ago before they had heard of Ilhan Omar or Rashida Tlaib or knew what AOC stood for, how could they not vote now, when the progressive wing has become such a dominant force in the Democratic Party?
For centuries, Jews were deprived of the right to vote by despicable anti-Israel leaders in countries around the world. Now it is easier than ever to vote for the most pro-Israel leader of the free world in the history of mankind.
The writer is co-president of the Religious Zionists of America, chairman of the Center for Righteousness and Integrity, and a committee member of the Jewish Agency. Martinoliner@gmail.com