2020 is a Presidential Election Year. All Americans, regardless of where you reside, can vote in this election. However, if you do not plan to return to the United States to vote in person, you will need to pay careful attention to registration, absentee request, and ballot receipt deadlines. Such deadlines vary by state and many have been adjusted for increased flexibility due to the ongoing pandemic.
For state specific information, please visit:
If you do not plan to be in the United States to vote in-person, please consider any of the following options to get your ballot to your Board of Elections:
- Private couriers such as DHL or Fed-Ex,
- Submission of ballots by email or fax if your precinct allows, or
- Voting by proxy, if permissible, depending the rules and restrictions of where you are registered.
For those of you in Barbados, you can make an appointment via email with the Embassy’s American Citizen Services for any of the following services:
- You can drop off your completed ballot, which will be mailed back to the United States free of charge.
- You may pick up and fill out the Federal Post Card Application, which registers you to vote and requests your absentee ballot. We will then mail it for you.
- You can pick up and fill out the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot, which works as a back-up ballot if there isn’t enough time to receive and send back your ballot before the election. We will mail this for you.
Should you opt to mail your ballot via the Embassy’s Diplomatic Pouch and Mail Service, please plan to submit it before October 2, 2020, to ensure that your ballot is received by your voting district in time. The Embassy anticipates that the transit time between overseas post and local voting districts may take up to 20 days.
To schedule an appointment to drop off your ballot, or if you have additional inquiries, please email: BridgetownACS@state.gov.