Your Vote Counts: Many US elections have been decided by a margin of victory of less than 0.1 percent. This year’s general election will be held Tuesday, November 6, and will include the presidential race, 33 US Senate seats, and all 435 seats in the US House of Representatives.

Register to Vote: To register, visit Federal Voting Assistance Program and complete the Federal Post Card Application for the state where you last resided prior to departing the United States. Review your registration deadline; most states require registration 30 days before an election. You may be able to check your voter status. You should receive an absentee ballot 30 to 45 days before the general election. Be aware of your state’s ballot receipt deadline, as well as any postmarking requirements.

Federal Write-In Ballot: If you have confirmed your registration but don’t receive an absentee ballot on time, you may use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot www.fvap.gov. The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot is only valid for federal, not state or local, offices.

Submit Your Completed Ballot at the US Embassy: US Embassy Tel Aviv will send received ballots to the United States, saving voters the expense of international postage. You may bring a completed ballot (without an appointment) to the US Embassy, Monday through Friday, between 08:00 and 11:00, excluding September 17, 18, and 26 and October 1, 8, and 9. The ballot must be unsealed prior to entering the US Embassy due to security procedures. After entering the American Citizen Services section, you will personally seal your envelope and place the ballot in a voting station. We recommend you deliver your ballot to the US Embassy before October 26, to ensure your ballot is received on time (some states will not count ballots received after November 6).

Voting Assistance: Lots of groups can assist you! The non-partisan iVoteIsrael www.iVoteIsrael.com facilitates registration and ballot returns to the United States. Online resources provide unbiased information about candidates’ policy positions, such as Project Smart Voter www.votesmart.org. Send an email requesting FVAP’s voting alerts: [email protected].

For additional help from the US Embassy, contact the US Embassy’s Voting Assistance Officer at [email protected].

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)