| | |  Vallarta Living | July 2008 
Democrats Abroad Get-Out-The-Vote Update
 Paul Crist - Democrats Abroad Mexico
| | For more information or assistance, contact Susan Wichterman at 044-322-303-5181 or mexicoms(at)hotmail.com or Paul Crist at 322-222-4793 or editor(at)mexicodemocrats.org. | | |
American citizens living in the Costa Banderas region will have no excuse for not voting in the U.S. General Elections on November 4, 2008. The Costa Banderas Chapter of Democrats Abroad Mexico is offering assistance for eligible voters to request and mail their absentee ballots.
You do not have to be a Democrat to take advantage of the service. The project is non-partisan, and open to any eligible voter from any political party in the U.S.
It is strongly recommended that eligible voters request their ballots as soon as possible, in order to assure that the ballot is received, voted, and mailed back in time to be counted. Democrats Abroad recommends that absentee ballots be requested no later than October 1st.
Voting in the General Election cannot be done via the Internet, and having voted in Primary Elections does not automatically mean you will be sent an absentee ballot. Your absentee ballot must be requested by an approved format that includes your signature. This form must be mailed to your local US Board of Elections. When the absentee ballots for your jurisdiction are printed, yours will be mailed to you here in Mexico. Once received, you will vote your preference, and the voted ballot, double-sealed in envelopes and signed, must be mailed back to be counted.
Democrats Abroad, Costa Banderas Chapter is assisting eligible voters in two ways:
1. On any Wednesday afternoon, from 1 pm to 3 pm, volunteers will be available at Mailboxes Etc., (Av. Fco. Medina Ascensio #2180, at Plaza Caracol, next to the tire center) to assist you in the process. All you need to do is bring legal identification and the address of the last place you lived in the US. Your US address must be a street name and number (not a PO Box), city, state and zip code.
Democrats Abroad volunteers will be on hand to help you with the rest. Throughout the summer and until October 1, the Costa Banderas Democrats Abroad chapter will be available to assist voters both in requesting absentee ballots and with returning voted ballots to local election districts. A $50 peso donation is requested to help defray provided postage and handling costs.
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2. U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote can also use the website VoteFromAbroad.org. On this site, you will be asked to fill out a series of questions regarding your US and overseas addresses, party affiliation preference, etc. Based on your responses, a completed absentee ballot request form will be produced and must then be downloaded and printed. Sign the form, seal it in an envelope, and mail it to the address provided for your local Board of Elections. The correct address for your Board of Elections is provided based on the U.S. address you provided on the form. For faster turnaround, you can turn in your envelope to a Democrats Abroad volunteer on Wednesdays at Mailboxes Etc. as above.
A special mailbox has been reserved at Mailboxes Etc. to receive blank absentee ballots for voters. Democrats Abroad volunteers will contact voters when their absentee ballot has arrived to our mailbox. You will be asked to pick it up; vote your preferences for U.S. President, Congressional races, and any local election candidates or issues in your voting district. Your ballot will then be sealed, stamped, and delivered to the U.S. Consulate office in Nuevo Vallarta for transfer to the U.S. by diplomatic pouch. Once in the U.S. your voted ballot will be mailed to your local district to be counted. Using the Mailboxes Etc. service and diplomatic pouch to send ballot materials to the US will be faster than the Mexican Postal Service.
For those who are not registered to vote, even if you've never voted, you can register to vote in the fall elections. Any U.S. citizen who is eligible to vote may register in the last place of legal residence in the U.S. where you lived, even if you no longer have a residence in the U.S. Federal law allows citizens abroad and citizens in the uniformed services to register to vote only in the state that they last resided. If you never lived in the US, you may be able to vote using the address where your American parent(s) last lived. Voting in federal elections cannot be used to affect the determination of federal or state tax liability.
For more information about the Costa Banderas Chapter of Democrats Abroad, click HERE. For local assistance, contact Susan Wichterman at 044-322-303-5181 or mexicoms(at)hotmail.com or Paul Crist at 322-222-4793 or editor(at)mexicodemocrats.org. |
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