Greetings from U.S. Embassy Luanda! Two important notes….
First, the latest issue of our quarterly US Citizen Newsletter, The AmCit, is now up on our website. It includes an interview with our new U.S. Ambassador to Angola and plenty of other information for Americans in Angola.
Second, mid-term elections across the U.S. are underway or fast approaching. The primaries for the mid-terms generally occur in mid- to late summer, depending upon your home state. The general elections are in November. Although you are overseas, you may still vote, but you may need to re-register with your overseas address.
You can re-register through the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) at www.FVAP.gov to ensure that you receive an absentee ballot. Here are some general FAQ’s:
Q: What state do I vote in?
A: In most cases, you will vote in the state you use for tax purposes or the last state in which you lived, using your last U.S. address, even if you only rented at that property or if you’ve sold the property.
Q: What about my child who just turned 18 but has lived overseas his/her entire life?
A: New voters use their parents’ last address, as if the new voters had lived there too.
Q: I haven’t voted in several cycles. Can I vote this time?
A: Yes. Just be sure to update your address.
Q: Must I request a physical absentee ballot and mail it, or can I vote electronically?
A: Most states require paper ballots. The Voting Assistance Guide, which has detailed information about every state, is available at www.FVAP.gov.
Q: How do I return my ballot to the elections bureau in my state?
A: Simply drop it at the Consular Section at the Embassy and we’ll forward it to the United States. No postage is required for most states.
Q: What’s at stake in the mid-term elections?
A: The entire U.S. House of Representatives and a third of the U.S. Senate seats, plus state and local offices.
Upcoming Primary Elections
The following states have primary elections in the next 90 days:
May 15: Idaho, Nebraska, Oregon, Pennsylvania
May 22: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Texas
June 5: Alabama, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota
June 12: Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia
June 19: Arkansas, District of Columbia
June 26: Colorado, Maryland, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah
June 30: Texas 27th Congressional District Special Election
July 17: Alabama
July 24: Georgia
August 2: Tennessee
August 4: Virgin Islands
August 7: Ohio 12th Congressional District Special General
August 7: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Washington
August 11: Hawaii
August 14: Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin
August 21: Alaska, Wyoming
August 25: Guam
August 28: Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma
FVAP recommends that all U.S. citizens overseas send in a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) every year to ensure receipt of absentee ballots for all federal elections. Now is the time to update your mailing address and absentee ballot request information to reflect any changes since the last general election. To register and request your ballots, complete the FPCA using the online assistant (fvap.gov/military-voter/registration-ballots) or use the fillable PDF available on the website.
Not voting in the states listed above? Find your state’s primary election dates at FVAP.gov: Select the state where you want to register to vote from the drop-down menu in the “Voters Start Here” box at the top left-hand side of FVAP.gov. To find your state’s election website for specific information on candidates, elections, contact information, and links to your local election offices, visit FVAP’s contact page (fvap.gov/info/contact).
If you have questions for the Consular Section of U.S. Embassy Luanda, don’t hesitate to reach out at ACSLuanda@state.gov.
For further information:
- See the State Department’s travel website for Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information for Angola.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program(STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Contact the U.S. Embassy in Angola, located at Rua Presidente Houari Boumedienne, 32, Luanda, Angola, at (244) 222-641-000, (244) 222-445-481, 222-445-727, or 222-446-096. The after-hours emergency numbers for U.S. citizens are (244) 923-404-209 and (244) 923- 640-154.
- Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
- Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
