U.S. Voters Abroad Letter Campaign Guidance
Key information and instructions about this unique letter writing campaign
We’re announcing a new letter writing campaign unlike any previous Vote Forward campaign: you can now write letters to U.S. voters living abroad!
Why are we writing to U.S. voters living abroad?
There are millions of voters living abroad who can make a real difference in elections, but they receive almost no election outreach, and as a result, they vote at very low rates. That's why our partner organization, the Center for U.S. Voters Abroad, has been able to achieve very strong results by contacting these voters—and why we're working with them to bring you this high-impact letter campaign now.
Some U.S. Voters living abroad must request their absentee ballot to vote every year, well in advance of the election date. So in addition to our typical Vote Forward Letter with your handwritten message, we’ll also print and mail them a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) form, which voters can use to request their absentee ballot.
This campaign has a rolling mail date – please send these letters ASAP, and no later than July 11. August 1 is the date the federal government recommends for overseas voters to return the FPCA, so our goal is to reach these potential voters well in advance of that date. Please remember that other Vote Forward letter campaigns have different mailing instructions, so be sure to keep your Voters Abroad letters separate from any other letters you may have prepared.
What’s different about this campaign?
This campaign requires special instructions. Before you adopt voters from this campaign, please consider the following:
This campaign is a Political campaign, and is not eligible for stamp/letter kits or grants.
International forever stamps cost more ($1.55) than domestic stamps.
In your letter bundles, each letter template will be accompanied by a ballot request form, the FPCA form. You will print and enclose this form along with your handwritten letter inside the envelope.
Though the FPCA form includes color, printing in black and white is fine.
Please keep in mind that each country has their own address format, so the addresses will likely look different than what you are used to writing. If you see something in an overseas voter’s address that looks confusing and you’re not sure what to do, please reach out to help@votefwd.org.
Please address the envelope with the address on the individual letter, not the cover page. Many of the overseas addresses are long. Because of this, some of the addresses are cut off on the cover page that prints with your letter bundle, but not on the individual letters.
Your message to voters should follow our usual guidelines. Generally, messages that are positive, heartfelt and personal, and nonpartisan work best. Check out our help article for more information.
I have more questions
We’re here to help! Please email help@votefwd.org and we will get back to you within 48 hours.
We’re hosting a virtual info session focused on this special campaign for interested volunteers, Thursday, May 2 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT. If you’re not able to attend, the session will be recorded and we can send it to you if you’d like– just email us and ask.