Voter Registration Overview JUNE 2014 Voter Registration Goals

Voter Registration Overview JUNE 2014

Voter Registration Goals 2014 • Democrats Abroad goal is to register 50% of our total members • Find new members • Clean up database and verify current members • Voter outreach to study abroad programs • Increase volunteer participation of members who live outside of local chapters – this is a DA Spain goal

Vote from Abroad • Tool developed by Democrats Abroad for voter registration • Allows DA to easily track voter registration of members and enroll new DA members • Can be easily promoted by email and on social media • Will likely be updated by the end of the summer

Voter Registration In Person Other • Local DA events • Phone Banking – Easy way to ensure that we register our members – Bring printer, paper, envelopes and stamps! • Bi-partisan event (consulate, study aboad etc. ) – May not be able to use votefromabroad. org • Public stand where we can promote DA and votefromabroad. org – Make sure you don’t lose people who are waiting – Needs follow-up – Not easy for some country committees • Social media is an increasingly important tool – DA Sites – Other ex-pat sites • Promotional VR materials – Distribute at events – Leave at targeted establishments frequented by expats

Goals for VR Leaders • Be a resource for issues and questions • Know deadlines and other state-specific voting requirements (witnessing, etc. ) • Recruit and train a group of volunteers • Help keep your country database up to date and verify your members

Goals for VR Volunteers • Motivate people to vote – Midterms Matter!!! • Follow-up by email and phone to make sure everyone requests and ballot and votes on time • You don’t need all the answers, just know what resources are available for questions – Candidate information – State specific deadlines and requirements

Vote From Abroad Step by Step Overview

Let’s get started… What’s the difference between an FPCA and an FWAB?

FPCA vs. FWAB Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) Should be completed by: All overseas voters once a year and any time they need to update their contact Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) Should be completed by: All overseas voters as an emergency write- information in absentee ballot should they not receive Allows voters to: Apply to register to vote, request an absentee ballot and update their contact information. Vote in all Federal elections. Some States allow the FWAB to be used for State and their ballot 30 days before the election. local elections or as a simultaneous application for voter registration and write -in absentee ballot.

US Address info I don’t remember my last address? I don’t know my zip code.

FAQ: Someone wants to know what their US voting address would be? Completing the FPCA: Voting Residence For Overseas Citizens: Your "legal State of residence" for voting purposes is the State or territory where you last resided immediately prior to your departure from the United States. This applies to overseas citizens even though you may not have property or other ties in your last State of residence and your intent to return to that State may be uncertain. For U. S. citizens who have never resided in the U. S. : Your “legal State of residence” for voting purposes is the State or territory that your parent or legal guardian would be eligible to register and vote. Not all states allow this eligibility, however. Check with your Local Election Office. You may contact your local election official to identify your voting residence address. A local election official needs an applicant’s voting residence address in order to confirm the applicant’s voting precinct. The address must be for a residence (i. e. , not a P. O. box). It is also not where a family member may be just ‘collecting mail’ for them back home. You must have resided at the location, yourself, prior to moving abroad.

Overseas address info I don’t know my overseas address.

Confirm your county or township

Has not been updated on VFA yet I don’t like the wording of this question.

Party affiliation/Join Democrats Abroad I don’t know if I am a member of Democrats Abroad.

Review information to make sure it is correct before printing or emailing forms

Time to print or email a form

FAQ: Where do I send my Ballot Request? Completing the FPCA: Submission Methods Completed FPCAs should be submitted to the applicant’s local election official for processing. All States and territories accept the FPCA via mail. Mailing addresses for local election officials are printed as part of the Vote From Abroad printout. They can also be found in the state by state area of the wiki. Never mail forms to your embassy/consulate. Consult them first before dropping forms off.

More resources • Democrats Abroad wiki - wiki. democratsabroad. org and click on GOTV 2014 • Board of Elections for specific states www. elections. state. md. us (for Maryland) - Allows members to check if they are registered and confirm if their information is correct via online voter registration lookup • League of women voters - www. lwv. org • Email GOTV@democratsabroad. org • More info on voters who have not lived in the US https: //www. fvap. gov/uploads/FVAP/VAO/Voting%20 Resid ence_Overseas%20 Citizens. pdf http: //www. fvap. gov/citizen-voter/reside

Questions, comments, suggestions…