*An edited selection of information issued by the US embassy in Bulgaria

United States citizens living abroad can generally vote in US elections by absentee ballot in any election for federal office.

What is an election for federal office?
An election for federal office is any general, special, runoff or primary election to select, nominate, or elect any candidate for the office of president, vice president, presidential elector, member of the United States senate, member of the United States house of representatives, delegates from the District of Columbia, Guam, Virgin Islands and American Samoa, and resident commissioner of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Can I vote at the US embassy?
No. However, voting assistance officers and staff at the US embassy can help US citizens complete registration forms and absentee ballots, witness or notarise the forms or ballots (if required), and provide other non-partisan absentee voting information. They will also allow you to send voting materials through the diplomatic pouch or APO/FPO mail system to your local election officials in the US, where your registration and ballot requests are processed and voted absentee ballots are counted.

How can I register to vote and apply for an absentee ballot?
Obtain a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) and your state's registration and voting instructions from the voting assistance officer, complete the form legibly, and mail it to your local election officials. Visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program website [www.fvap.gov] for more specific information.

Is the FPCA also available on the internet?
Yes, but not everyone can use it. The Federal Voting Assistance Program website contains an online version of the FPCA (OFPCA). It is accepted by all states and territories, except American Samoa and Guam.

Where do I send my FPCA?
Send the FPCA to the city or county where you are registered to vote.

I'm not currently registered to vote. If I do not maintain an address or residence in the US, what is my voting residence?
Your legal state of residence for voting purposes is the state or territory where you last resided immediately prior to your departure from the United States.

When completing the voting residence section of the FPCA, be sure to enter the entire mailing address of your last US residence, including street or rural route and number.

US citizens who have never resided in the US usually claim one of their parent's legal state or territory of residence as their own. Some states, but not all, will allow these citizens to register and vote absentee.

Can I submit my FPCA electronically/via internet?
You cannot submit the FPCA via the internet, but most states will let you fax the FPCA if you then send in the original by mail. Follow your state's instructions.

Do I have to submit a separate application for each election?
No. By sending in one FPCA to your local election officials, you will receive ballots for all Federal elections during the current calendar year.

Does my FPCA or ballot have to be witnessed or notarised?
Some states/territories still require notarial action relating to absentee ballots. Remember that there is no fee to be charged for ballot-related notarial actions. States requiring a notary:

* On FPCA: American Samoa, Michigan, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Vermont
* On ballot return envelope: Guam, Mississippi, Puerto Rico
* On state forms: Illinois, Missouri, Rhode Island (some overseas civilians only)

Do I need to pay postage to send in the FPCA?
It depends. The hard copy of the FPCA has pre-paid franking. It can be mailed without the need for postage stamps if it is sent through any APO/FPO mail facility, the embassy diplomatic pouch or hand-carried to the US and dropped off in the US postal system.

If you download or photocopy the OFPCA, and send it through the diplomatic pouch, APO/FPO facilities or arrange for it to be hand-carried to the US and dropped off in the US postal system, you will first need to put it in an envelope and affix US postage stamps.

If you send the FPCA or the OFPCA via the foreign postal system, you will need to affix international postage stamps.

If you send the FPCA or OFPCA by express courier service directly to local election officials, you need not affix postage but will have to pay applicable express courier charges.

What should I do if my ballot is delayed or just doesn't show up?
If you have not received your ballot three weeks before the election, contact the Federal Voting Assistance Program's ombudsman service by e-mail at vote@fvap.ncr.gov for help in determining when your ballot was mailed. Always execute and return your absentee ballot regardless of when you receive it. Court decisions sometimes require the counting of ballots voted and postmarked by election day, but received late. Obtain a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot from your voting assistance officer and send it in.
Generally, if you are using the FPCA to both register and request an absentee ballot, you should mail it in as early in the calendar year as possible. If you are using an FPCA to request a ballot, send it in so election officials receive it at least 45 days before election day to allow them ample time to process the request and mail a ballot back to you. Be sure to advise your election official of any change to your address.

Will I be taxed by my last state or territory of residence if I vote absentee?
Voting in elections for federal offices only does not affect the determination of residence or domicile for purposes of any tax imposed under federal, state, or local law. Voting in an election for federal office only may not be used as the sole basis to determine residency for the purpose of imposing state and local taxes.
However, you may be liable for state and local taxation if you claim a particular state or territory as your residence and have other ties with that state or territory in addition to voting, or if you vote in an election for other than a federal office.

The US embassy in Bulgaria's American citizen services department told The Sofia Echo that voters can get their ballots notarised, if necessary, at the embasssy. Also, it is possible to drop off one's absentee ballot or to mail it to the embassy in an outer envelope, and the embassy will post the ballot in its diplomatic mail pouch to the United States, from where it will be mailed.

American Citizen Services recommended that voters look up information applicable to their particular state of residence, as registration and voting requirements tend to vary.

For further questions, contact the US embassy in Sofia at 02/ 937 51 00 (ask for American citizen services) or e-mail acs_sofia@state.gov.