Voting by U.S. Citizens Who Have Lived Abroad For Years

How do you NOT know this? You are eligible to vote your state of official residence via absentee ballot. Even if you temporarily live in another state? If you are not a citizen in that state? You cannot vote in their local election. You are still eligible to vote the above mentioned absentee ballot.

Absentee ballots have never been a secret. They're talked about literally every midterm and presidential election. Every election, soldiers stationed around the planet are featured in local and national news regarding their collective absentee ballot based participation.

They're even talked about more this time around considering many states have expanded who can qualify for the (preelection day) mail in ballot method.

tsarstepan-

Thank you.

I am aware of a citizen's right to vote by absentee ballot if he/she is temporarily away from the election district.

My niece grew up in Florida. Then she went to college in Rhode Island. Then she left the U.S. and other than brief visits has not returned to the U.S.

She no longer owns or rents a residence in the U.S.

She has no plans to return to the U.S.

It strikes me as odd that for the next 40 or more years that she may continue to live abroad that she will be able to vote not only in Federal elections but in State and local elections.

So be it.

If she pays income taxes (federal and/or state) then she deserves the right and responsibility to suffrage.

tsarstepan-

Thank you.

I think an American citizen living abroad and earning his/her income in a foreign country, is required to:

1) Pay his/her taxes to that foreign country; and

2) File a U.S. tax return with a credit for whatever taxes he paid to the foreign country.

You can still vote - the idea is you are a US Citizen.

Your voting residence is your address in the State in which you were last domiciled, immediately prior to leaving the United States.

This residence may remain valid even if:

You no longer own property or have other ties to that State.
Your intent to return to that State is uncertain.
Your previous address is no longer a recognized residential address.

Even those we are US Citizens who never lived in the US can vote depending on the state that their parent(s) last resided.

Linkat-

Thank you.

They vote and they campaign like crazy. The Democrats and Republicans Abroad groups here have phone banks to campaign for their candidates in the US - and tonight they will party together.