U.S. Embassy San Jose, Costa Rica
Message for U.S. Citizens
Final Opportunities to Return Voted Ballots
22 October 2014
Embassies and consulates are not polling places. The majority of states require voted ballots to reach local election officials by the close of polls on Tuesday, November 4. U.S. citizens who want to participate in the 2014 U.S. elections should already have returned their absentee ballots to their local election officials. U.S. embassies and consulates are not polling places; same-day in-person voting is not available outside the United States.
Never received your ballot? If
you have registered to vote and requested your absentee ballot prior to
your state’s registration and absentee ballot request deadlines but
have not yet received your ballot, you should immediately 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, go ahead and 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.
Ballot not yet sent to local election officials? If
you wish to participate in this election and have not yet sent your
ballot to your local election official, you should consider returning
your ballot to the United States via an express courier service such as
FedEx, UPS, or DHL. Some states or counties may allow you to return your voted ballot electronically. 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 4 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: Arizona, California (fax only),
Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii (fax only),
Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska
(paper copy must also be mailed), Nevada, New Jersey (paper copy must
also be mailed), New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma,
Oregon (paper copy must also be mailed), South Carolina, Utah,
Washington, and West Virginia. Check your state’s voting procedures at www.FVAP.gov for guidance.
Returning your ballot by mail. Ballots
sent via regular international mail at this late date are unlikely to
reach local election officials by state ballot receipt deadlines. If
you still wish to send your voted ballot via mail, place your voted
ballot in a U.S. postage-paid envelope addressed to your local election
officials. Drop it off at the Embassy, and we’ll send it
back home for you without the need to pay international postage. If you
can’t visit the Embassy in person, ask a friend or colleague to drop it
off for you. If it’s easier for you to use Costa Rica's
postal system, be sure to affix sufficient international postage, and
allow sufficient time for international mail delivery.
You
can get voting assistance from the embassy or drop off your completed
voting forms and ballots, addressed to your local election officials,
during the following hours:
Monday-Friday 8:00 – 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Normal transit time from San Jose to the United States is 10 days.
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.
Have Questions? Please contact Embassy San Jose’s Voting Assistance Officer at 2519-2590 or at ACSSanJose@state.gov.
Confirm your registration and ballot delivery online. Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program's (FVAP) website at www.FVAP.gov.
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