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Published Friday, October 23, 2020
Last call for ballots
By Steve Johnson Democrats Abroad Costa Rica -Paid Content-
Nov. 3 is rapidly approaching and if you haven’t voted yet, you still have a few days left.
Haven’t received your ballot yet? Here’s what to do:
• Check your email spam folder, if it’s not there,
• Call your local election office (you can find the phone number here: www.votefromabroad.org/states) Wait times may be long – call between 8-9 am, their time.
• If you are unable to resolve the issue with your local election office, vote using a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, FWAB.
Received your ballot but haven’t sent it in yet? Here’s what to do:
• Vote by email/electronic upload in Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey*, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Washington State, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wyoming.
Important: If you email your ballot to New Jersey, you must also postal mail it.
• Follow the instructions on your ballot material and ask us if you have questions! Do not delay. State election offices are handling massive quantities of mail-in and absentee ballots - the sooner you vote, the better.
Vote by fax in Alaska, California, Florida, Louisiana, or Oklahoma
Due to the overwhelming voter turnout, you may find it difficult to get through to the fax line at your local election office. You can try faxing from most Correos de Costa Rica, a local attorney/notary public’s office, or Office Depot. But during the day the fax lines will likely be busy. For this reason, we recommend using email-to-fax service on the internet. We recommend services such as faxdroid.com and efax.com. The best times to fax your ballot are between midnight and 6 a.m. You can also use FVAP.gov's email to fax service (Voter Transmission Cover Sheet-In Bound From Voters).
Read the instructions carefully, make sure your entire ballot is visible on the paper you are faxing, and don't forget your cover sheet when you email your ballot through fax@fvap.gov.
Here's the cover sheet: https://www.fvap.gov/uploads/FVAP/Forms/TransmissionCoversheet.pdf
Vote by postal mail in Alabama*, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska*, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin.
Important data: Alabama and Nebraska voters should ask their local election offices about voting online.
Although we’ve been recommending Correos de Costa Rica and the US embassy in the past, due to USPS slowdowns, these are no longer good options. Sending your ballot via international courier such as FedEx or DHL will circumvent the mail system altogether.
All states requiring mail-in ballots from overseas have agreed to accept courier services. In the event your local election office has provided you with a P.O. box instead of a street address, call them to verify a street address. Courier services require a phone number - if your local election office hasn’t provided a phone number in the material accompanying your ballot, you can find the phone number here on the Vote From Abroad website.
Voting deadlines. If voting by email, online upload, or fax, your deadline to vote is Nov. 3. If voting by mail, all ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 with the exception of Vermont, which requires the postmark no later than Nov. 2. Here are the deadlines for ballot receipt:
Alabama – received by Nov. 10
Arkansas - received by Nov 13
Connecticut - received by Nov 3
Georgia - received by Nov. 6
Idaho - received by Nov 3
Illinois - received by Nov. 17
Kentucky - received by Nov 3
Maryland - received by Nov 13
Michigan - received by Nov 3
Minnesota - received by Nov 10
Nebraska – received by Nov. 3
New Hampshire - received by Nov 3
New Jersey - received by Nov 3
New York - received by Nov 16
Ohio - received by Nov 13
Pennsylvania - received by Nov 10
South Dakota - received by Nov 3
Tennessee - received by Nov 3
Texas - received by Nov 9
Vermont - received by Nov 2
Virginia - received by Nov 6
Wisconsin - received by Nov 3
Any U.S. citizen eligible to vote can do so no matter where they live in the world. By following the above steps, U.S. citizens living in Costa Rica can make sure their ballots are sent back in time to be counted.
If you need more information, specifically about voting from Costa Rica, please email us at democratsabroadcostarica@gmail.com.
Democrats Abroad is the official organization of the Democratic Party for United States citizens living permanently or temporarily abroad.
Votefromabroad.org is a public service provided to those U.S. citizens who wish to vote, regardless of their political affiliation or lack thereof.
--------------------------- Editor’s note: The views or opinions expressed by the author are the sole and exclusive responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinion of A.M. Costa Rica. The newspaper does not accept liability for the writer's paid article.
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