Voting U.S. Elections 2020

Dear fellow American citizen in Slovenia:

We now have a wooden ballot box in our Embassy guardhouse (visitor screening building) especially for you to drop off your voter registrations and ballots for the U.S. mail.

Registration/Requests for ballots: Many of you have registered to vote.  If you have not, there is still time.  In order to vote in the November 2020 elections, all overseas U.S. citizens need to have completed a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA)in 2020.  Whether you are a first-time voter or have already received ballots and voted absentee in past elections, you must complete an FPCA each year to participate in elections as an overseas absentee voter.  This form also allows you to request an absentee ballot for federal offices, or you can request ballots through your state’s election portal, accessible via www.fvap.gov.

Receiving your ballot: States are required to send out ballots 45 days before a regular election for federal office.  Most states allow you to confirm your ballot delivery online.  Most states can send you the ballot via email.

Researching the Candidates and Issues:  Go to the FVAP links page for helpful resources to aid your online 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 online. You can also read national and hometown newspapers online.

Return Your Completed, Signed Ballot:  Some states allow you to return your completed ballot electronically.  If your state requires you to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials by mail, you can do so through international mail, professional courier service, or through our U.S. Embassy’s diplomatic pouch.  The diplomatic pouch provides free mail service from embassies and consulates to a U.S. sorting facility.  You will need to place your ballots in postage paid return envelopes or in envelopes bearing sufficient U.S. postage, in order for them to be delivered to the proper local election authorities once received by the U.S. sorting facility.

If you plan to use the diplomatic pouch, drop off your ballots at the Embassy chancery in Ljubljana any weekday 0800-1700.  We have placed a wooden ballot box in our Embassy guardhouse where you can drop it off.  It can take 2-3 weeks for mail to reach its destination if sent by diplomatic pouch, so we recommend ballots be dropped off no later than October 2.  If you are submitting after this date, you may want to consider using a courier service.  Many states allow you to confirm ballot delivery via their portals.

Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) website, FVAP.govIf you have any questions about registering to vote overseas, please contact U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana at LjubljanaACS@state.gov.

Remember, your vote counts!

Assistance: