Your vote counts! Did you know that many U.S. elections for house and senate have been decided by a margin smaller than the number of ballots cast by absentee voters? All states are required to count every absentee ballot as long as it is valid and reaches local election officials by the absentee ballot receipt deadline.
Follow a few simple steps to make sure that you can vote in the 2016 U.S. elections:
- Request Your Ballot: Complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). You must complete a new FPCA after January 1, 2016 to ensure you receive your ballot for the 2016 elections. The completion of the FPCA allows you to request absentee ballots for all elections for federal offices (President, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives) including primaries and special elections during the calendar year in which it is submitted. The FPCA is accepted by all local election officials in all U.S. states and territories. You can complete the FPCA online at FVAP.gov. The online voting assistant will ask you questions specific to your state. We encourage you to ask your local election officials to deliver your blank ballots to you electronically (by email, internet download, or fax, depending on your state). Include your email address on your FPCA to take advantage of the electronic ballot delivery option. Return the FPCA per the instructions on the website. FVAP.gov will tell you if your state allows the FPCA to be returned electronically or if you must submit a paper copy with original signature. If you must return a paper version, please see below for mailing options.
- Receive and Complete Your Ballot: States are required to send out ballots 45 days before a regular election for federal office and states generally send out ballots at least 30 days before primary elections. For most states, you can confirm yourregistration and ballot delivery online.
- Return Your Completed Ballot: Some states allow you to return your completed ballot electronically and others do not. If your state requires you to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials, you can do so free of charge at the nearest U.S. embassy, consulate, or consular agency.
Place your ballots in postage paid return envelopes or in envelopes bearing sufficient domestic U.S. postage, address them to the relevant local election officials, and drop your ballot off at any of the locations below:
U.S. Embassy Brasilia
SES – Av. das Nacoes, Quadra 801
Lote 03, 70403-900 – Brasilia, DF
Ballots can be dropped off without an appointment Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. For additional information please contact Brasilia’s Voting Assistance Officer at (61) 3312-7000 or votebrasilia@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 dropped off without an appointment on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. For additional information please contact Rio de Janeiro’s Voting Assistance Officer at (21) 3823-2000 orvoteriodejaneiro@state.gov.
U.S. Consulate General Sao Paulo
Rua Henri Dunant 500
Chacara Santo Antonio
04709-110 – Sao Paulo, SP
Ballots can be dropped off without an appointment on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., and on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. For additional information please contact São Paulo’s Voting Assistance Officer at (11) 3250-5615 or votesaopaulo@state.gov.
U.S. Consulate General Recife
Rua Goncalves Maia, 163
Bairro Boa Vista
50070-125 – Recife, PE
Ballots can be dropped off without an appointment Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. For additional information please contact Recife’s Voting Assistance Officer at (81) 3416-3050 or voterecife@state.gov.
U.S. Consular Agency Fortaleza:
Torre Santos Dumont, Avenida Santos Dumont, 2828, Suite 708
Aldeota
60150-162 – Fortaleza, CE
To schedule an appointment to drop off your ballot, please call (85) 3021-5200 or emailfortalezaacs@state.gov.
U.S. Consular Agency Manaus
Edifício Atrium, Rua Franco de Sá 310 – Sala 306
Sao Francisco
69079-210 – Manaus, AM
To schedule an appointment to drop off your ballot, please call (92) 3611-3333 or email acsmanaus@gmail.com.
U.S. Consular Agency Porto Alegre
Avenida Assis Brasil 4320, Store 84 (Boulevard Strip Mall)
Parque Sao Sebastiao
91110-000 – Porto Alegre, RS
To schedule an appointment to drop off your ballot, please call (51) 3226-3344 or emailacsportoalegre@gmail.com.
U.S. Consular Agency Salvador
Salvador Trade Center, Av. Tancredo Neves, 1632, sala 1401 – Torre Sul
Caminho das Arvores,
41820-020 – Salvador, BA
To schedule an appointment to drop off your ballot, please call (71) 3113-2090/2091 or email acs1salvador@gmail.com.
If it’s more convenient for you, you can also return your FPCA or ballot to your local election officials via international mail or professional courier service at your own expense.
Researching the Candidates and Issues: Online Resources. Check out the FVAP links page for helpful resources that will aid your research of candidates and issues. Non-partisan information about candidates, their voting records, and their positions on issues are widely available and easy to obtain on-line. You can also read national and hometown newspapers on-line, or search the internet to locate articles and information. For information about election dates and deadlines, subscribe to FVAP’s Voting Alerts (vote@fvap.gov). FVAP also shares Voting Alerts via Facebook and Twitter.
Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) website, FVAP.gov. Remember, your vote counts!
For further information:
- See the State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Brazil Country Specific Information.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
