Friday, 02 January 2004

Vote early, vote often. If you're an American citizen living abroad (like me), it's time to mail in your 2004 request for an absentee ballot—don't wait until the week before the polls open, because it'll be too late by then. Visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) web site, download the instructions for the U.S. state you last lived in, and mail in the forms with your signature. It takes all of ten minutes and a stamp.

If you're not already registered to vote, then (a) shame on you, and (b) the site also has instructions on registering to vote from overseas, although this is slightly more difficult (the requirements vary by state). I don't care whether you're a Democrat, Libertarian, Free Soil, Whig, or even a (shudder) Republican—you should participate in the grand American experiment in democracy, no matter what your political stripe.

The 2004 election could make a huge difference in the lives of Americans living abroad, to say nothing of everyone else. Don't miss it!

- Posted by Scott Forbes at 4:06 am. comments.