Absentee Voting - Usa

[RBWilson]

An important issue for those of you mailing Absentee Ballots to the USA (I found this on the Internet):

The return envelopes for absentee ballots are not clearly marked for postage requirements. They state:

No Postage Necessary in the U.S. Mail - DMM-E080

and, where the stamp would normally go:

U.S. Postage Paid

39 USC 3406

Par Avion

Here's the problem: How many people overseas will think that it is perfectly OK just to drop your ballot in the mailbox of a foreign country and have it delivered?

The answer is that it won't be. According to the

Federal Voter's Assistance Program website:

"Generally, all election-related materials are mailed postage-free from any APO or FPO mail facility, all U.S. embassies and consulates and any post office in the U.S. You must pay postage if the materials are mailed from a non-U.S. postal facility. The on-line version of the FPCA must be printed out, signed, dated and mailed in an envelope with proper postage affixed. Ensure that your ballot or FPCA is postmarked."

So, unless you are planning to drop your ballot off at an APO, FPO mail facility, or at an embassy or consulate, YOU MUST PAY POSTAGE!

There is nothing in the materials you will receive, or on the return envelope itself that explicitly states this. I found all this out while preparing to return a primary ballot to Massachusetts from Du"sseldorf, Germany, as a US citizen residing outside of the United States who is not affiliated with the Armed Services.

I think that this point must be stressed to all absentee voters as it is not clear in the instructions received.

[Mr_Happy]

Just take it to the consuler section of the US Embassy 95 wireless rd....

[WISteve]

I'm completing my absentee ballot before I leave the US in the first week of October. Already arranged since I will be in Thailand far too long (yippee!) to vote in November!

~WISteve

[SoCal]

Ut oh. Kerry vs Bush.

Kerry narrowly loses, but many absentee votes not returned. Kerry supporters are not that intelligent, and couldn't figure out to put correct postage on international mail. Some reportedly even forgot to mail. We must now discern the intention of these voters, as every vote counts in an electorate system.

Here we go again.