How should I return my completed overseas absentee ballot?

Every state will accept your voted ballot by post, and some will accept it by electronic means.

To check if your state accepts electronic ballot submissions, go to our State Voting Requirements page and select your state. On the following page select "Overseas & Military Voters" and "Voter Materials Transmission Options" to see the ways in which your state accepts ballots.

In states that accept voted ballots by fax, the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s Fax Service enables UOCAVA voters to transmit voted ballots to their election office using FVAP's email-to-fax service when allowed by state law and an email option is not permitted. Not all states will accept ballots submitted through this service, so be sure to check with your election official before using it.

If your state does not accept electronic ballot submissions, there are two ways to return your ballot:

Postal Mail. Mail your ballot as early as possible from the post office and make sure it is postmarked to show the mailing date was on or before Election Day. Be sure the address includes "USA."
Carriers such as FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc. Do not use one courier envelope to return multiple individually sealed ballot envelopes to your election official without first verifying that your election official will accept this procedure and your ballots will be counted.

Note:

Complete and mail your ballot as early as possible, being sure to affix the correct postage.
Do NOT give your ballot to someone to take back to the US and drop into the local post. This is a sure way to have it rejected. Overseas ballots must have overseas postmarks on their envelopes!
Do not rely on the U.S. Embassy or Consulate to send your ballot back in a timely manner. They are not a mailing organization. (There may be some assistance through American Citizen Services, although it varies depending on which country you are in. Use this service only if necessary.)
For Military Voters: Take advantage of the free Express Mail available from military post offices. This service is often referred to as "Label 11".