Voting

U.S. citizens age 18+ can vote wherever they are in the world.  Simply follow the step-by-step instructions below and look at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s website, fvap.gov, for more resources.  U.S. citizens in Angola can email ConsularLuanda@state.gov with any additional questions.

Your voting residence is your address before leaving the United States.  You do not need to have current ties with that address.  If you have never lived in the United States, your voting residence will usually be your parents’ last residence in the United States (if you were born overseas) or their address at the time you were born (if you were born in the United States).

All U.S. elections (including for the president) are managed at the state level and each state has its own deadlines and instructions for absentee voting.  Your voting residence determines your state for U.S. voting purposes.

If you have questions, contact your local election office in the United States.

  • You must re-register every year.  You can register and request an absentee ballot at the same time by completing the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).  For states other than California and New York (which require a hand-signed FPCA), you can complete and submit the FPCA online here.  Alternatively, you can print the FPCA here, fill it out and sign it, and scan and send it to your local election office in the U.S.  Make sure to include your U.S. voting residence address as well as your current address to prove your eligibility to vote absentee.  Request your ballot to be sent to you via email if possible.
  • Locate instructions for your state of voting residence in the Voting Assistance Guide.
  •  All state ballots will be sent out either electronically or by mail by September 21, 2020.
  • To ensure timely processing, you should complete your ballot as soon as you receive it.
  • If you do not receive a ballot the week of September 21, please complete the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot online or print it here.  If you later receive your ballot, you can still send it in and it will cancel out your write-in ballot.

Although most states will accept ballots via email or fax, U.S. Embassy Luanda can accept your FPCA, ballot, or Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot, in person to mail to the United States.  Simply download and print the postage paid envelope for your ballot.  You (or a friend or relative) can give the sealed and prepaid envelope to the guards at the main entrance. You do not need to make an appointment. You can also mail your sealed ballot to the Embassy at the address below, but please ensure sufficient Angolan postage and time for domestic transit.  It can take 4-6 weeks for forms sent from the Embassy to be received by relevant U.S. election offices, so please plan accordingly.

After you send in your ballot, you can check if it was received by your election office.

YOUR VOTE COUNTS

Many U.S. elections within the past ten years have been decided by a margin of victory of less than 0.1%.  All states are required to count every absentee ballot as long as it is valid and reaches local election officials by the absentee ballot receipt deadline (differs by state, find your state’s deadline here).

Be an educated voter.  Check out the FVAP links page for helpful resources that will aid your research of candidates and issues.

U.S. Embassy Luanda
Rua Houari Boumedienne, 32
Luanda, Angola
C.P. 6468

Tel.: +244-222-641-000
Fax: +244-222-641-232

With any questions, please email ConsularLuanda@state.gov