UAE | General
Countdown for US and Canadian postal voters living in UAE
As elections in both Canada and the US get underway, expats from both countries are called on to register for voting before time runs out.
- By Marten Youssef, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:42 September 19, 2008
Dubai: As elections in both Canada and the US get underway, expats from both countries are called on to register for voting before time runs out.
It's conservatively estimated that there are more than 13,000 Canadians and 35,000 Americans living across the UAE.
"Americans need to register with their individual state as soon as possible," a spokesperson with the US embassy told Gulf News. "The consular section will be doing an outreach programme in Al Ain, on Wednesday to inform and provide voter registration material for American citizens."
As voting in the US is a state process, not a federal process, each state election commission sets the regulation for how the resident in each state can vote by absentee ballot.
For American citizens, the embassy calls on its residents to visit the Federal Voting Assistance Programme ascertain the requirements for each resident state. A few weeks remain before the US elections.
Voter turnout for Americans living oversees in the 2004 federal election reached a low of 30 per cent, according to fairvote.org
Due to an unexpected election called by Canada's Prime Minster, Stephen Harper, October 14 will be the day Canadians go to the polls. However, regulations by Elections Canada, require absentee ballots by expatriates living abroad to be submitted no later than October 7.
For Canadians who have declared themselves non-resident for tax purposes, there are still ways to vote if you have lived outside of Canada for less than five consecutive years. After filling a registration form on the Elections Canada page expatriates will receive an absentee ballot if they qualify, which must be send to Ottawa by Mail or fax.
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