Overseas Voting Myths & Realities
I can vote in person at the embassy
on election day.
√ FALSE. U.S. elections are run at the
state level and citizens must communicate
directly with their election officials
to register, request a ballot and vote.
Voting assistance is available at most
embassies to help in the completion of
necessary forms. Be sure to account for
submission and mail delivery times to
ensure your forms are received by the
state deadline.
States have the same election rules &
deadlines for overseas voters.
√ FALSE. U.S. states have different rules
in regard to how and when election
forms are returned. Please visit FVAP.
gov for state-specific guidelines.
U.S. citizens who never lived in the
United States cannot vote.
√ IT DEPENDS. A growing number of
states allow U.S. citizens who were born
abroad but never resided in the United
States to vote using the address where
a parent or other relative is eligible to
vote. Visit FVAP.gov for additional information.
Absentee ballots are not secret.
√ FALSE. State absentee ballots and
the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot
are designed with a “Secrecy Envelope”
allowing for the separation of the voter’s
identity from the cast ballot. Local
election officials are professionals who
go to great lengths in their ballot handling
procedures to ensure your vote,
and personal information, are kept private.
Voting will affect the tax status of
overseas citizens.
√ IT DEPENDS. Voting for federal
office candidates will not affect your
federal or state tax liability. Depending
on the laws of your state, voting for state
or local offices may affect your state
income tax liability. If you are concerned
about your state tax status, consult
legal counsel.
Absentee ballots are only counted in
close elections.
√ FALSE. Absentee ballots submitted
in accordance with state laws are
counted for every election. The difference
is that in a close election, the media
reports that the outcome cannot be
announced until after the absentee ballots
are counted. However, all ballots
are counted in the final totals for every
election - and every vote (absentee or
in-person) counts the same.
√
U.S. Embassy in Finland
https://fi.usembassy.gov/ finland.usembassy usembfinland usembfinland
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