Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Voting is a way to make your preferences known. If you don't vote, you have no one to blame for results you don't like but yourself.

For many, state deadlines have passed to register or request a ballot. However, some voters still have time to vote and make their preferences heard. Check with headcount.org to confirm you are registered. For those states that are still open to registration, registering is easy to do by using FVAP.gov and following the steps with your last U.S. address. You can use also use Find My Election Official to register and request an absentee emailed ballot.

In the following states, if you are registered, you have time to request an electronic ballot and return it by email or fax by November 6:

Delaware - By 11/2 and email or fax back
District of Columbia - By 11/3 and return by email or fax
Florida - By 11/6 and return by FAX by same day
Hawaii - By 10/30 and return by email
Indiana - By 11/5 and return by email
Kansas - By 11/6 and can return by email or fax
Nebraska - By 10/26 and return ballot by email or fax
Nevada - By 10/30 and return ballot by email or fax
New Mexico - By 11/2 and return by email or fax
Oklahoma - By 10/31 and return by fax
Oregon - By 11/ 6 and return by email or fax
South Carolina - By 11/6 and return by email or fax
Washington - By 11/6 and return by email or fax
West Virginia - By 10/31 and return by email or fax

Please note that if you have no fax machine, you can email your ballot as an attachment to fax@FVAP.gov and they will forward it to your state election board.

Other voters have more leeway to register and vote. The following states are still open to register or don't require registration. Go to FVAP.gov and register as soon as possible. The states are:

Colorado - Register and request email ballot through 11/6. For return, go to ballotreturn.sos.colorado.gov.
Maine - Register and request emailed absentee ballot by November 6 and return ballot by email or fax.
Massachusetts - No registration but you must request a ballot by 11/5 and return by email or fax.
Mississippi - Register and request ballot by 10/27 and return by email or fax.
Montana - Register and request a ballot until 11/6 and return by email or fax.
North Carolina - By 11/5 requesting an e-mail ballot and return by email or fax by 11/6.
North Dakota - Registration not required. Request ballot by November 5 and email or fax by November 6.
Oklahoma - Register by 10/31 and request email ballot. Return by FAX only by 11/6.
Utah - Register and request emailed ballot by 10/30 and return by email or fax by 11/6.

Since the General Election on Nov. 6 is less than 2 weeks away, overseas voters should VOTE THEIR BALLOT NOW! If your state website to register and vote cannot be reached, contact your state's election office for help.

Also, FVAP.gov is always available to voters regardless of global location. The FVAP.gov site includes contact information for local election officials, registration and voting deadlines for all states, as well as a list of international toll-free numbers that can be used to contact FVAP. You can also email vote@fvap.gov.

If you have already requested but have not received a state ballot or cannot access your state website to download your ballot, go to FVAP.gov and use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), which all states accept as an official backup ballot for federal offices. FVAP offers an interactive online tool that helps you fill out the FWAB. After filling out the backup ballot, you must print, sign and send by fax or email to your election office using the instructions provided.

If you receive your state ballot after submitting the FWAB, you may vote and return the state ballot as well, if you are from one of that states that allows email or fax ballots. The state will only count one ballot if both are received by the deadline.