Voting in the 2022 U.S. Elections
Your vote counts! Many U.S. elections have been decided by a margin smaller than the number of ballots cast by absentee voters. All states are required to count every absentee ballot that is valid and reaches local election officials by the absentee ballot receipt deadline.
Click here for the State Department’s comprehensive, up-to-date guide to overseas voting. For more information on voting and COVID-19, see the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) COVID-19 Update here.
Follow a few simple steps to make sure that you can vote in the 2022 U.S. elections.
1. Request Your Ballot: Complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) (PDF 185 KB).
You must complete a new FPCA after January 1, 2022 to ensure you receive your ballot for the 2022 elections. The completion of the FPCA allows you to request absentee ballots for all elections for federal offices (President, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives) including primaries and special elections during the calendar year in which it is submitted. The FPCA is accepted by all local election officials in all U.S. states and territories.
Complete the FPCA online at www.FVAP.gov. The online voting assistant will ask questions specific to your state. We encourage you to ask your local election officials to deliver your blank ballots to you electronically (by email, internet download, or fax, depending on your state). Include your email address on your FPCA to take advantage of electronic ballot delivery. Return the FPCA per the instructions on the website. FVAP.gov will tell you if your state allows the FPCA to be returned electronically or if a paper copy with original signature is required. If you must return a paper version, please see below for mailing options.
2. Receive and Complete Your Ballot: States are required to send out ballots 45 days before a regular election for federal office and states generally send out ballots at least 30 days before primary elections. For most states, you can confirm your registration and ballot delivery online.
3. Return Your Completed Ballot: Some states allow you to return your completed ballot by email or fax. If your state requires paper voting forms or ballots to be returned to local election officials, you can use international mail, a courier service such as FedEx or DHL, or drop off completed voting materials at the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan during regular business hours.
Place your materials in a postage paid return envelope (available under “Downloadable Election Materials” on the FVAP homepage) or in an envelope with sufficient domestic U.S. postage, and address to the relevant local election officials. The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) also provides an email-to-fax conversion service for voters who have difficulty sending election materials to States that do not accept emailed documents, information here.
If you follow these steps but do not receive your ballot 30 days before the election: complete and submit a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB). Contact the U.S. Embassy at the email address below for assistance or visit FVAP.gov to complete the FWAB using their online wizard. Write in the candidates of your choice, print, sign, and send to your local election officials. If your regular absentee ballot arrives later, fill it out and send it back. Your FWAB will be counted only if your regular ballot does not reach your local election officials by your state’s deadline. Following this procedure will not invalidate your vote or result in two votes being cast.
Stay Informed: Remember, your vote counts! Be absent but accounted for!
Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website. For questions, contact the FVAP via email at @fvap.gov or call 1-800-438-8683. FVAP shares Voting Alerts via Facebook and Twitter and the FVAP links page provides resources to aid your research of candidates and issues.
If you have additional questions about registering to vote overseas, please contact Yerevan’s Voting Assistance Officer at VoteYerevan@state.gov
