Unlike some countries, the US does not limit voting to people who live there – all adult US citizens can vote, no matter how long they have lived outside the country (excluding those who have had their voting rights suspended after committing a crime).

The Presidential Election is not until Tuesday, November 5th, but it is best to get a head start on your absentee ballot as early as possible.

It takes time to register, request and receive your mailed ballot, as well as time to send your ballot back to the US.

How do I vote?

This will depend on your state – and in this case “your” state would be the place where you last lived in the United States (even if you no longer have any connections there, such as property or family).

Broadly, you will need to be registered to vote and you will need to request an overseas absentee ballot to participate in the 2024 election.

If you have never lived in the US, then you’ll want to start by finding out if you are eligible to get an absentee ballot and which state you should get one from.

For those who have lived in the US, homepage for the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) has a dropdown menu where you can select your state to get specific information. 

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Unfortunately, each state’s rules and processes are slightly different, but the good news is that there are plenty of groups – both partisan and nonpartisan – that offer help to Americans abroad in getting registered.

One such organisation is the US Vote Foundation, which is a nonpartisan nonprofit that “together with our Overseas Vote and US.VOTE initiatives, is dedicated to bringing best-in-class voter services to millions of American voters”.

To start the process of registering and requesting your ballot, you can click here and follow the instructions, or you can find the dedicated page from your state.

There are also services offered from partisan groups like Democrats Abroad and Republicans Overseas which provide information and in some cases in-person help with getting registered to vote.

How far in advance should I request a ballot?

This will depend on your state and how absentee ballots are done, but the earlier the better.

The US Vote Foundation website offers specific information for voting requirements for each state – for example you can see the deadlines, eligibility requirements, as well as other helpful tools including checking whether you are already registered to vote.

You can see an example for the state of Maryland below, which shows that voter registration must be completed by October 15th, and requests for postal ballots must be received by Tuesday, October 29th, while email and online ballots must be requested by November 1st.

Maryland also requires that absentee ballots be postmarked on or before Election Day (November 5th) and received by Friday, November 15th.

As the dates differ state-to-state, be sure to check your state’s rules and abide by them. There can be delays with sending and receiving ballots, so give yourself more than enough time.