Voting in the 2008 General Election

From American Citizen Services in Shenyang:

Have you registered to vote for the 2008 general election yet? If not, now is the time to do so!

The official U.S. voter assistance website is: http://www.fvap.gov. Please visit this site for the most complete, up-to-date information on voting abroad. Basic information can be found below.

All U.S. citizens 18 years or older living abroad can use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to register to vote and request an absentee ballot. This form is easy to fill out and can be picked up and mailed from the U.S. Consulate in Shenyang, China with no need to pay for postage. Fill it out here, mail it out here. It's that simple!

The FPCA can be mailed without paying postage only by using U.S. Embassy or Consulate mail facilities or from any U.S. Post Office. If you decide to use the Chinese mail service, you will have to affix the correct postage.

You can also fill out the Online Federal Postcard Application (OFPCA) on . There's an option to print a postage-paid envelope that also can be mailed from the U.S. Consulate.

The FPCA must be sent to your local election official. You can find that address at this website: http://www.fvap.gov/shortcuts/find-where-2-send-ballot-request/index.html

Once your FPCA has been accepted by your local election official, you will be registered to vote and should receive your absentee ballot 30-45 days before the election.

Your absentee ballot can also be mailed through the U.S. Consulate. If it is not postage-paid, you will need to affix sufficient postage. We ask that you please plan to deliver any voting-related materials to the consulate at least two weeks before your jurisdiction's receipt deadline as mail sent via these channels usually takes 7-14 days to reach the U.S. Deliver any FPCAs or absentee ballots to the American Citizen Services office at the consulate. If you cannot get your ballot to us under this time frame, you may still be able to get your ballot in on time by mailing it through the China Post, which is generally reliable and often faster than our consulate postal channels.

On Friday, August 29th at 4:30pm, the U.S. Consulate in Shenyang will hold a Voter Registration Drive to assist voters with registration and requesting absentee ballots. Officers will be available to answer any questions you may have about the voting process. If you cannot attend
this Voter Registration Drive, you may visit the consulate anytime during our regular American Citizen Services hours to seek assistance.

To RSVP for this event or ask questions, please e-mail: ShenyangACS@state.gov.

Please see the chart below for state's registration and absentee ballot return deadlines.

Voter Registration Postmark Ballot Return

State NLT Deadline NLT Deadline NLT Deadline
Alabama 24-Oct-08 3-Nov-08 2400 4-Nov-08 1200
Alaska 5-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 19-Nov-08 1600
American Samoa 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1330
Arizona 4-Nov-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1900
Arkansas 3-Jun-08 4-Nov-08 1200 14-Nov-08 1700

California 20-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 2000
Colorado 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1900
Connecticut 3-Nov-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 2000
Delaware 20-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 2000
District of Columbia 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 14-Nov-08 1600

Florida 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 14-Nov-08 1600
Georgia 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 7-Nov-08 1600
Guam 24-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 2000
Hawaii 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
Idaho 10-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 2000
Illinois 4-Oct-08 3-Nov-08 2400 18-Nov-08 1600

Indiana 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
Iowa * * * * * 3-Nov-08 2400 10-Nov-08 1200
Kansas 31-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
Kentucky 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
Louisiana 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
Maine 4-Nov-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
Maryland 14-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 14-Nov-08 1600

Massachusetts 3-Nov-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
Michigan 4-Nov-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
Minnesota 3-Nov-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
Mississippi 5-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1900
Missouri 8-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1700
Montana 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 2200
Nebraska 17-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600

Nevada 4-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1700
New Hampshire 3-Nov-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1700
New Jersey 31-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
New Mexico 31-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
New York 10-Oct-08 3-Nov-08 2400 17-Nov-08 1600

North Carolina 3-Nov-08 3-Nov-08 2400 3-Nov-08 1700
North Dakota 25-Sep-08 3-Nov-08 2400 7-Nov-08 1600
Ohio 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 14-Nov-08 1600
Oklahoma 29-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1900
Oregon 14-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 2200
Pennsylvania 6-Oct-08 3-Nov-08 2400 11-Nov-08 1600

Puerto Rico 4-Sep-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1500
Rhode Island 14-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 2100
South Carolina 4-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
South Dakota 20-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
Tennessee 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
Texas 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 10-Nov-08 1600
Utah 6-Oct-08 3-Nov-08 2400 18-Nov-08 1600
Vermont 29-Oct-08 5pm 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600
Virgin Islands 5-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 14-Nov-08 1600

Virginia 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1900
Washington 4-Nov-08 4-Nov-08 1200 25-Nov-08 1600

West Virginia 14-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 9-Nov-08 1600
Wisconsin 15-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 14-Nov-08 1600

Wyoming 6-Oct-08 4-Nov-08 1200 4-Nov-08 1600

American Citizen Services Unit
U.S. Consulate General
Shenyang, China
Tel: 86-24-2322-1198
Fax: 86-24-2323-1465
Email: shenyangacs@state.gov

ACS work hours: 1:30pm to 4:30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and
Friday except for Chinese and American holidays (check
http://shenyang.usconsulate.gov ).