If you plan to vote in the November 2020 election, it is important to ACT NOW! Don’t wait, return your completed ballot right away! Remember U.S. embassies and consulates are not polling places; same-day in-person voting is not available outside the United States – but you can get assistance in requesting and returning your absentee ballot. Many states require completed ballots reach local election officials by the close of polls on Tuesday, November 3.
The Department of State is committed to assisting overseas voters in casting their ballots. For instructions on how to vote from Brazil please see our website and our most recent messages to U.S. citizens. For general overseas voting information please see the Department of State’s web site Absentee Voting Information for U.S. Citizens Abroad or FVAP.gov.
Never received your ballot? If you registered to vote and requested an absentee ballot prior to your state’s registration deadline, but have not yet received your ballot, complete and return a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot to ensure your vote reaches election officials by your state’s deadline. If your regular ballot arrives later, complete and return it as well. Your Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot will only be counted if your regular ballot does not reach local election officials by your state’s deadline. Your vote will not be counted twice. Please note that before you send the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot make sure you register to vote by filling out the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). The FPCA is the first step in the process.
Returning Your Ballot:
To ensure your ballot arrives in time to be counted, we strongly recommend the U.S. Embassy and Consulates General in Brazil receive your ballot no later than October 2, 2020. Ballots received after that date will be forwarded, but may arrive too late to be counted. Please also check the regulations in the state in which you vote as deadlines may differ, and you may have alternative voting options such as by email or fax.
The above timeline is based on current local and U.S. conditions, which are subject to change. Should conditions change and impact the timeline, we will alert you. We strongly recommend you submit your ballot as far in advance as possible.
If you wish to drop off your ballot, or have someone else drop it off for you, place it in either a U.S. postage-paid envelope (provided with the ballot) or an envelope bearing domestic U.S. postage addressed to your local election officials. See FVAP.gov for instructions.
Please see below instructions for mailing or dropping off an FPCA or ballot at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia or any of the U.S. Consulates General in Brazil. Please note that submitted ballots must be sealed.
U.S. Embassy Brasilia
SES – Av. das Nações, Quadra 801, Lote 03,
70403-900 – Brasilia, DF.
Ballots can be mailed or dropped off by appointment on Mondays and Fridays. For additional information, or to request an appointment, please contact Brasilia’s Voting Assistance Officer at votebrasilia@state.gov.
U.S. Consulate General Sao Paulo
Rua Henri Dunant 500, Chacara Santo Antonio,
04709-110 – Sao Paulo, SP.
Ballots can be mailed or dropped off by appointment on Tuesdays and Fridays. For additional information, or to request an appointment, please contact Sao Paulo’s Voting Assistance Officer at votesaopaulo@state.gov.
U.S. Consulate General Rio de Janeiro
Avenida Presidente Wilson, 147 (Rua Mexico entrance) – Centro,
20030-020 – Rio de Janeiro, RJ.
Ballots can be mailed to the consulate or dropped off in the consular waiting room without an appointment, during working hours (9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m.) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Consular Agency Salvador will accept ballots by mail or ballots can be dropped off by appointment. For additional information, or to request an appointment in Salvador, please contact Rio de Janeiro’s Voting Assistance Officer at voteriodejaneiro@state.gov.
U.S. Consulate General Recife
Rua Goncalves Maia, 163, Bairro Boa Vista,
50070-125 – Recife, PE.
U.S. Consulate General Recife is accepting ballots by mail only. For additional information please contact Recife’s Voting Assistance Officer at voterecife@state.gov.
U.S. Consulate General Porto Alegre
RuaBezerra de Menezes, 82, Passo d’Areia
91350-130 – Porto Alegre, RS.
Ballots can be mailed or dropped off by appointment. For additional information or to request an appointment, please contact Porto Alegre’s Voting Assistance Officer at voteportoalegre@state.gov.
Completed ballots should not be mailed or dropped off at the U.S. Consular Agencies in Fortaleza and Manaus. Instead, redirect your ballot to the Embassy or Consulate General most convenient for you.
Missed the U.S. embassy/consulate shipment deadline? Consider returning your ballot to the United States via a commercial express courier service such as FedEx, UPS, or DHL or return your voted ballot electronically if allowed by your state. Ballots sent to local election officials via express courier service do not receive standard postmarks, so voters using this method should confirm delivery on or before November 3 prior to payment and shipment. Check your state’s voting procedures at www.FVAP.gov for guidance.
Returning your Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot by email or fax. Review your state’s voting procedures at www.FVAP.gov carefully for guidance.
HELP SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT OVERSEAS VOTING. Please help spread the word to your friends, family, and colleagues that now is the time to act. Consider posting to your Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or other social media account that you are an active voter and will be dropping off or mailing your Federal Post Card Application or completed ballot. Use #ProudOverseasVoter to help get the word out about voting.
You can also contact the Federal Voting AssistanceProgram directly if you encounter issues with local election officials by emailing Vote@FVAP.gov or toll free by phone from many countries around the world.
Confirm your registration and ballot delivery online. Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) website at www.FVAP.gov.
