Don’t wait, return your voted ballot right away! Remember U.S. embassies and consulates are not polling places; same-day in-person voting is not available outside the United States. The majority of states require voted ballots to reach local election officials by the close of polls on Tuesday, November 8. U.S. citizens who want to participate in the 2016 U.S. elections should already have returned their absentee ballots to their local election officials.
RETURNING YOUR BALLOT:
We’ve simplified procedures to drop off your voted ballot:
- Complete your ballot, following all instructions for your state.
- Seal your ballot envelope and secrecy envelope, if necessary.
- Clearly write the mailing address for your county voting official and your return address on the envelope.
- Add necessary postage, if required.
- In Jakarta: Drop off your ballot at the Visa Visitor Entrance of the U.S. Embassy any time day or night.When you drop off your ballot sign your name and leave your contact number.
- In Surabaya: Bring the ballot to the consular entrance between 0800 and 1500.
- In Bali: Drop your ballot on weekdays, day or night at the U.S. Consular Agency.
We will gladly mail your voted ballot by Express Mail through the Diplomatic Pouch (USPS). Please allow 5 days for your ballot to reach our mail facility in Dulles, Virginia from the U.S. Embassy and then normal mail time from Dulles to your county office. To be safe, we recommend that all ballots be received by October 18, 2016. Please check www.fvap.gov for specific information about voting in your home state.
Special Voting Assistance Event at the American Club on Saturday October 15th from 10am-2pm. Come by to drop off your ballot or ask questions about voting overseas. No need to RSVP or to be a member at the American Club, just bring your ballot and your passport for entrance.
There will also be a representative from the Consular Section at the American Women’s Fall Charity Bazaar from 10am-12pm at the Century Park Hotel Senayan.
Never received your ballot? If you registered to vote and requested an absentee ballot prior to your state’s registration deadline, but have not yet received your ballot, complete and return a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot to ensure your vote reaches election officials by your state’s deadline. If your regular ballot arrives later, complete and return it as well. Your Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot will only be counted if your regular ballot does not reach local election officials by your state’s deadline. Your vote will not be counted twice. Federal Write-In Absentee Ballots are available online and at all U.S. Embassy locations. They will also be available at all U.S. Embassy sponsored voting events.
Missed the shipment deadline? Consider returning your ballot to the United States via an express courier service such as FedEx, UPS, or DHL or electronically if allowed by your state. Ballots sent to local election officials via express courier service do not receive standard postmarks, so voters using this method should confirm delivery on or before November 8 prior to payment and shipment. Check your state’s voting procedures at www.FVAP.gov for guidance.
Returning your Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot by email or fax. If you have previously registered to vote and requested an absentee ballot but it has not yet arrived the following states allow voters to use email or fax to send signed, voted Federal Write-in Absentee Ballots to local election officials: Alaska (fax only), Arizona (contact election official first), Arkansas (fax only), Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida (fax only), Hawaii (fax only), Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana (fax only), Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska (fax only paper copy must also be mailed), Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma (fax only), Oregon (paper copy must also be mailed), Rhode Island (fax only), South Carolina, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia. Review your state’s voting procedures at www.FVAP.gov carefully for guidance.
Returning your ballot by international mail delivery. If using Indonesia’s postal system, be sure to affix sufficient international postage, and allow sufficient time for international mail delivery. Mail from Indonesia can be unpredictable. Please allow an extra week or two for your ballot to reach your home voting office if using the Indonesian Post. Ballots sent via regular international mail from most countries at this late date are unlikely to reach local election officials by state ballot receipt deadlines.
HELP SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT OVERSEAS VOTING. Please help spread the word to your friends, family, and colleagues that now is the time to start thinking about overseas voting. Consider posting to your Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or other social media account that you are an active voter and will be dropping off or mailing your Federal Post Card Application or completed ballot. Use #ProudOverseasVoter to help get the word out about voting.
Need help? You can get in-person assistance from our Embassy in Jakarta, Consulate in Surabaya, or Consular Agency in Bali by contacting a Voting Assistance Officer directly by phone or email. U.S. Citizen appointments can also be scheduled via our website. On October 15th, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta will host a voting promotion event at at the American Club in South Jakarta. Please contact voteJakarta@state.gov for details.
Have Questions? In Jakarta, please contact our Voting Assistance Officer at (21)3435-9054/55, or at voteJakarta@state.gov. In Surabaya or Bali, please contact the Voting Assistance Officer at +62 31 297-5300, or at VoteSurabaya@state.gov. You can also contact the Federal Voting Assistance Program directly if you encounter issues with local election officials by emailing Vote@FVAP.gov or toll free by phone from many countries around the world.
Confirm your registration and ballot delivery online. Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) website at www.FVAP.gov.
