Voting Assistance

Absentee Voting

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) allows certain groups of American citizens to register and vote absentee in elections for Federal offices. Many states and territories, in complying with the UOCAVA, have developed their own laws allowing citizens covered by the UOCAVA to register and vote absentee in state and local elections as well. Overseas voter assistance is provided by the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), on the web at www.fvap.gov.

U.S. citizens covered by the UOCAVA include:

• members of the US Uniformed Services (on active duty) and merchant marine;
• their family members; and
• U.S. citizens 18 years or older who are residing outside the U.S.

The Federal Voting Assistance Program's (FVAP) website, www.fvap.gov provides voting-related information and resources for overseas voters. This web site also includes the Voting Assistance Guide, which provides specific information for voters based on their address in the United States.  The procedures and deadline to vote absentee vary from state to state.  However, the same document-the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) is accepted by all states and territories as an application for both registration and for an absentee ballot. 
 
The Consular Section can provide further voting assistance for Americans living in Timor-Leste. Prior to a federal election, ACS receives Federal Post Card Applications which are for distribution to Americans wanting to register as overseas absentee voters. The FPCA also can be obtained online at: www.fvap.gov.
 
For the latest voting announcements, please see this page. To contact us, send an e-mail to VoteDili@state.gov.

Warden Message: vote now!
SeptEMBER 30, 2008

American citizens should vote now in the November 4, 2008 presidential and general elections.  Many Americans in Timor-Leste have already exercised this right, and we encourage those who have yet to vote to contact us immediately if you have any questions after reading the information below.

If you registered to vote and requested an absentee ballot by your state’s deadline, you should receive your state absentee ballot in October.  Please return your marked ballot as soon as possible to ensure that it arrives in time to be counted!

Forgot to register or request an absentee ballot?

Some states have late registration deadlines for overseas voters.  Check your state’s deadlines on the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s website at www.fvap.gov.  If your state’s registration deadline has not passed, complete the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to register to vote and request your ballot.  The FPCA is available at www.fvap.gov or from U.S. Embassy Dili.

Ballot hasn’t arrived?

If your ballot has not arrived by mid-October, we strongly encourage you to use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB).  The FWAB serves as an emergency ballot for voters who registered in time but fail to receive an official ballot from local election officials.  The FWAB is available at www.fvap.gov or from U.S. Embassy Dili.

Returning your ballot

Voted ballots, FPCAs and FWABs may be mailed to your local voting officials in the United States through first-class international mail or from any U.S. Embassy or Consulate (including from U.S. Embassy Dili).  Last-minute voters should consider using an express courier company to deliver their ballots.  Some states also accept FPCAs and voted ballots by fax or e-mail.

Questions?

The Voting Assistance Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Dili is Vice Consul Roberto Quiroz II.  He is available to answer questions about absentee voting. To contact the Voting Assistance Officer, please call (670) 332-4684, ext. 2083, cell phone number (670) 723-1328; or send an e-mail to ConsDili@state.gov. You may also contact Consular Assistant Germano Boavida at (670) 723-1985. 

Embassy Dili also provides American Citizen Services information on its website: http://timor-leste.usembassy.gov/