You know that they are out there: Americans enrolled in year-abroad programmes, on sabbatical or relocated with US-based firms. Many may not know that they are able to vote while away from home.

With the absentee ballot registration deadline looming, it’s a race against time to find these Americans and tell them that, yes, you can vote from abroad.

Here in Bulgaria, efforts to find and register Americans to vote in November have already gotten underway.

“Americans have only a few days remaining to fill out their registration and absentee ballot request forms to ensure that they arrive in time,” John Hazlewood, an American entrepreneur in Sofia who is leading get-out-the-vote efforts here, says. “The first wave of deadlines comes 30 days before the election, on October 4. As voter law is decided in each state individually, there are 50 different sets of rules. We’re here to sort through the confusion and help our fellow Americans exercise their civil rights.”

Hazlewood notes that voting from overseas has gotten easier in recent years, as more states have moved to eliminate restrictive measures such as the required notarisation of signatures on registration forms or ballots.

Another positive change, he says, has been the increasing acceptance of faxed or e-mailed registration forms and even voted ballots. While in the latter case, voters must sign a waiver recognising that the privacy of their ballot is compromised, Hazlewood finds that most prefer to ensure that their vote is received and counted rather than delayed in an international postal limbo.

It is even possible to fill out voter registration and absentee ballot request forms online, though the forms must still be printed, signed and mailed to the United States. Hazlewood encourages voters to go to votefromabroad.org, where an online wizard takes voters through the form, based on the state in which they will be voting. “The website was designed to take those 50 sets of rules into account. It is the best way to be certain you have filled out the form correctly and will not be rejected due to a missed form field or other technicality.” Vote from Abroad was developed by Democrats Abroad, a branch of the US Democratic Party, but can be used by voters of any party affiliation without fear of discrimination.

“Completing your registration has never been easier. In just 10 minutes, you can have your form ready to mail,” says Hazlewood.

For those voters without internet access or who need extra support, Hazlewood and other volunteers will be holding voter registration events on October 10 at the CenTransit.bg office, at 147 Knyaz Boris Str, Sofia. In October, his group will be providing emergency ballot support to voters who have not received their absentee ballots in a timely manner. For more information on these and other efforts, please contact John Hazlewood directly at John@CenTransit.bg or call him 088/ 890 22 54.