Dubai: The American Embassy in Abu Dhabi is advising 55,000 US expatriates in the UAE to give themselves lots of time to prepare the necessary papers to vote in the November 8 US election.
Speaking to Gulf News, an embassy spokesperson listed a step-by-step process for absentee voting.
First: Registered voters can log on to the Federal Voters Assistance Programme website at www.fvap.gov to register to vote and to download the request form for an absentee ballot or they can visit the new voting centre at American Business Council Dubai and the Northern Emirates to obtain what’s called a Federal Post Card Application.
Second: The form should be filled out and expats can provide their own address or that of the American Business Council which will alert voters to pick up their newly mailed ballots.
Third: UAE expats can then hand deliver their ballots to the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi, or the US consulate in Dubai. Both have drop boxes for US voters to have their ballots mailed via diplomatic pouch. Voters can drop off ballots during business hours.
“Mail sent through our diplomatic pouch generally takes two weeks to get to Washington, D.C., and another week to reach most US counties, so please take this into consideration and be sure to check your state’s specific deadlines to ensure your ballot will be received in time,” the official said.
Fourth: The voters assistance programme advises that absentee ballots should be returned to voter’s home counties no later than “four weeks before the election
before the election” to ensure they are counted.
“If you have not received your requested State ballot by October 4, use the FWAB and submit it [online] immediately,” advises the voter assistajnce programme.
