Public Services

Voter Information

This message is for U.S. citizens 18 years or older. You are eligible to participate in all elections for Federal offices under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). Many of you are also eligible to vote in state and local elections, depending on where you last lived in the United States.

First, register to vote in your state of legal residence. Then request an absentee ballot by using the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) or sending a written request for a ballot to your county or town clerk. The FPCA and information on requirements for individual states, including where to send the FPCA, is available online at http://www.fvap.gov/ or from the Office of American Citizens Services (ACS) in the U.S. Consulate General located at Avenida Constitucion, 411 Pte. in Monterrey. You also can use the FPCA to register. Once you have completed the FPCA, we will be glad to mail it from the Consulate. Some states require the ballot to be notarized, which we can do for you free of charge at the Consulate.

We recommend that voters submit an FPCA in January of every year and/or at least 45 days before election day. Depending on your state's requirements, you may be able to fax the FPCA and even the completed ballot. If you have sent in an FPCA or written request according to the requirements of your state of legal residence but you have not received your absentee ballot at least two weeks prior to election day, you can vote in elections for federal office using a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot available from ACS at the Consulate.

If you have questions, consult the web site, then call us at (81) 8047-3145 in Monterrey.

A Message from US Consulate General Monterrey

Warden Message: Vote NOW!

American citizens should vote now in the November 4, 2008 presidential and general elections.  If you registered to vote and requested an absentee ballot by your state’s deadline, you should receive your state absentee ballot in October.  Please return your marked ballot as soon as possible to ensure that it arrives in time to be counted!

Forgot to register or request an absentee ballot?

Some states have late registration deadlines for overseas voters.  Check your state’s deadlines on the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s website at www.fvap.gov.  If your state’s registration deadline has not passed, complete the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to register to vote and request your ballot.  The FPCA is available at www.fvap.gov or from any U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Ballot hasn’t arrived?

If your ballot has not arrived by mid-October, we strongly encourage you to use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB).  The FWAB serves as an emergency ballot for voters who registered in time but fail to receive an official ballot from local election officials.  The FWAB is available at www.fvap.gov or from any U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Returning your ballot

Voted ballots, FPCAs and FWABs may be mailed to your local voting officials in the United States through first-class international mail or from any U.S. Embassy or Consulate.  Last-minute voters should consider using an express courier company to deliver their ballots.  Some states also accept FPCAs and voted ballots by fax or e-mail.

Questions?

The Voting Assistance Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey is also always available to answer questions about absentee voting.  To contact the Voting Assistance Officer, call (81) 8047-3145 or send an e-mail to MonterreyACS@state.gov.  In addition, the U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey has walk-in hours 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. every weekday, excluding U.S. and Mexican holidays and the first business day of the month.

VOTING INFORMATION NEWS

October 2008 * Vol. 18, No. 10
A roundup of voting news from the Federal Voting Assistance Program
(FVAP) for voters, potential voters and those who assist voters.

COVERAGE OF THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES AVAILABLE TO ALL CITIZENS AT HOME AND ABROAD

The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) has joined with the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) to make the 2008 election debates more valuable to Americans abroad.  DebateWatch is the CPD's nonpartisan, international program that brings U.S. citizens together to watch and discuss this fall's presidential and vice presidential debates.
All across the world, citizens will meet in schools, libraries, theaters, hotels, civic auditoriums, homes, and elsewhere to watch the debates on television or the Internet, or listen to them on the radio.

At the end of each debate and before commentary begins, the facilitator will turn off the broadcast and lead participants in a discussion about the debate, the candidates, and the upcoming election.

After finishing their discussion, participants may log on to the CPD's website, www.debates.org, to fill out a voluntary survey and provide feedback to the CPD.  If you would like to learn more about DebateWatch or register to organize one of these meetings, please see www.debates.org  or email debatewatch@debates.org.

Presidential debates are a permanent part of every Presidential general election,  Debates provide a means for viewers and listeners to become informed about the candidates' positions on the issues.  The CPD's primary purpose is to sponsor and produce debates for the United States presidential and vice presidential candidates and to undertake research and educational activities relating to the debates.  The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization sponsored all the presidential debates since 1988.

For the 2008 general election, CPD teamed up with Myspace to create a new website, www.MyDebates.org.  The website which will be operational in early September will try and enhance the educational value of the debates while engaging new audiences.  The CPD believes, "the Internet can be used to personalize the debates in a way that allows for in-depth examination by individual citizens and joint discussion with others."
The new website will include tools for citizens to make scorecards of important issues and help track the issues throughout the debates.

Voters can submit questions for possible inclusion in the town meeting debate via www.MyDebates.org.  This new venture plans to offer unprecedented access and flexibility in following these debates through forums that discuss numerous topics.

More information about the CPD and MyDebates.org can be found at www.debates.org.

The schedules for this fall's debates are as follows: (Information current as of 5 Aug 08)

First presidential debate       Friday, September 26        
Vice-presidential debate       Thursday, October 2 
Second presidential debate   Tuesday, October 7  
Third presidential debate      Wednesday, October 15

All debates will begin at 9 pm E.T., and will be carried by international media outlets. The debates will have a single moderator and last for 90 minutes.