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Message for U.S. Citizens – Get Your Ballot Counted
6 MINUTE READ
October 14, 2020

The Department of State is committed to assisting overseas voters in casting their ballots.  For instructions on how to vote from Albania please see our website here.  For general overseas voting information please see the Department of State’s web site Absentee Voting Information for U.S. Citizens Abroad or FVAP.gov.

RETURNING YOUR BALLOT:

Note that the U.S. Postal Service recommends voters mail their completed ballots before Election Day and at least one week prior to your state’s deadline.  The election is now only three weeks away!  Due to processing times, we previously recommended that all completed ballots should be returned to the embassy by October 2, 2020.  If you have not yet returned your ballot, we suggest that you do so as quickly as possible.  Ballots will continue to be forwarded, but may arrive too late to be counted.  Please also check the regulations in the state in which you vote as deadlines may differ, and you may have alternative voting options such as electronic voting or by fax.

If you wish to drop off your ballot, or have a friend or colleague drop it off for you, place it in either a U.S. postage-paid envelope (pdf) (provided with the ballot or printable here) or an envelope bearing domestic U.S. postage addressed to your local election officials, come to the U.S. Embassy Monday-Friday, and bring your U.S. passport for identification purposes.  You may deposit your ballots at the main gate, just off of Elbasan Road, and they will be mailed on your behalf.

Returning your Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot by email or fax.  Review your state’s voting procedures at www.FVAP.gov carefully for guidance.

Returning your ballot by international mail delivery.  If using Albania’s postal system, be sure to affix sufficient international postage, and allow sufficient time for international mail delivery.  Ballots sent via regular international mail from most countries at this late date are unlikely to reach local election officials by state ballot receipt deadlines, so you may need to consider another method.

Have Questions?  Please contact Tirana’s Voting Assistance Officer at ACSTirana@state.gov.  You can also contact the Federal Voting Assistance Program directly if you encounter issues with local election officials by emailing Vote@FVAP.gov or toll free by phone from many countries around the world.