Voting From Indonesia
We strongly encourage all eligible voters to request your ballot so you can vote in the primaries and the general election for Congress, and Senate. Primaries are happening soon, and the general election is coming in November. Remember that your vote CAN BE THE DECIDING VOTE.
Note that in order to vote this year you must request your ballot THIS YEAR, by filing an FPCA (Federal Post Card Application) form — doing so in a previous year does not count — to ensure your vote will be counted in this year’s elections. Even if you have already received your ballot from your election official!!
But voting from here is a very simple process now, thanks to recent voting law changes and some very helpful websites that do most of the work for you. There’s just 2 basic steps, so see below. If you’ve already completed the first part and you’re ready to cast your ballot go here.
[We’ll be adding more voting info here as elections near to ensure you are able to easily navigate the voting from abroad process — stay tuned, or better yet — sign up for our email bulletins]
1. Start the Voting Process: Requesting Your Ballot with an FPCA (Federal Post Card Application)
If you’re ready to fill out the form to request your ballot, just click here — the VoteFromAbroad.org website will do the work for you. All you’ll need other than your identifying information, is your last US residence address. Do be sure to check the “Email/Online” box so your ballot will be sent by email. But if you have some questions first, read on:
Is voting from here really worthwhile?
Is my vote really counted?
Do I really need to file an FPCA this year, even if my election official sent me ...?
Will voting cause me tax troubles?
Can I vote from here?
I still have a US residence and will be back in the US at election time, so ...
Is voting from here complex?
But what state/county do I vote in?
When do I need to do all this?
What info do I need in order to fill out the voting forms?
What's the best way to have my ballot sent to me?
Can I use my smart phone to do this?
Afterwards can I verify that I am really properly registered?
What's the best way to send my completed FPCA?
OK? If you still have some questions you might check here for some facts. Or if you’re still perplexed about something, contact us and we’ll get back with you.
Otherwise now just go to www.VoteFromAbroad.org and in 5-10 minutes, you’ll have your completed FPCA (Federal Post Card Application) all ready to be signed, dated, and mailed in per the instructions. Then you’re all set!
2. Casting Your Ballot
If you’ve properly requested your ballot as per above, you should receive a ballot from your election official about 45 days before any election this year. Fill it out and return it being sure to follow instructions carefully.
If you don’t receive your ballot by 30 days before the election, you should fill out a FWAB (Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot), again easily done at www.VoteFromAbroad.org in a few minutes, fill it in, sign and date it, and send it back per instructions.
And if you have questions:
When are elections that I can vote in?
What do I do if I do not get my ballot?
Where can I get info on candidates and issues on my ballot?
What's the best way to return my ballot?
If you still have some questions you might see this excellent video. Or if you’re still perplexed about something, contact us and we’ll get back with you.
3. Now What?
Pat yourself on the back for doing your part in our democracy — this is a vital step that each of us should take. If this helped you, please consider telling any other American you know here about us — just click the little email envelope button in the upper right below the Borobodur statue. Do note that many elections are won by just a handful of votes., so your vote is important. Remember the 2000 presidential election and the 2008 nip and tuck battle that Senator Al Franken of Minnesota won by a handful of votes. So be sure you complete the voting process and encourage other Americans here to vote also — we’ll help make the process painless.
See your state’s voting deadlines and requirements
Links
Below are some important voting-related websites that you might find useful.
- VoteFromAbroad.org — a great website to guide you through the process so you can quickly register, request a ballot, or vote even if you didn’t receive your ballot.
- OverseasVoteFoundation.org — another great website to guide you through the process so you can quickly register, request a ballot, or vote even if you didn’t receive your ballot.
- DemocratsAbroad.org — the overseas branch of the Democratic Party that supplies lots of information and guidance for Americans abroad as well as championing expat causes, e.g. US tax and immigration policies aimed at expats.
- Democrats Abroad Indonesia — the Indonesian branch of Democrats Abroad
- Voting Residency Guidelines & Tax Implications — where do you vote? Will I be subject to tax there? … These and other questions answered.
- MyDistrict — find out which Congressional District you vote in — it’s likely different from the 2010 one.
- State web pages for overseas voters — official state-by-state web pages
- Verify your voter registration (state-by-state) — with many (but not all) states you can verify if you are duly registered or not
- Never resided in the USA? — how each state treats this situation and where you can vote
- Vote Smart — source of a lot of solid, unbiased info on candidates, the voting procedures, rules, …
- Overseas Vote Foundation — another source of good voting info for overseas Americans
- Federal Voting Assistance Program — a US govt website with lots of info on voting for military and civilians overseas.
- State Dept. Overseas Absentee Voting information
- Republicans Abroad — (no Indonesian chapter available)
And we are ready to help with any voting questions you may have — use our Contact form and direct it to Voting and we’ll get back to you.