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Registering to Vote Overseas – Absentee Ballot

By on in Living, Planning

With this being the presidential election year, remembering to register for an absentee ballot seems even more critical. Luckily, the Federal Voting Assistance Program has a newly redesigned web site to help with this process.  And this week the U.S. Embassy sent out the following email with more details:

New Website for Overseas Voters
We encourage you to visit the newly redesigned Federal Voting Assistance Program website at www.fvap.gov, the official U.S. government website for overseas voters.  The updated website features an automated Voter Registration and Ballot Delivery tool that will greatly improve the vote-by-mail process.

There are two options for overseas voters using the FVAP website:

  • Visit www.fvap.gov and click “Get Started” to be directed to an online Federal Postcard Application and instructions for your state; or
  • Visit www.fvap.gov and click “Use our New Automated Tool to Register/Request a Ballot” under Quick Links in the lower right-hand corner of the home page.  You will be redirected to www.fvap.com, a fully automated site that requires you to create a user account and password.

Voter Registration & Requesting an Absentee Ballot
Voters who have not yet registered to vote and requested an absentee ballot should do so now using the FVAP website.  You may also pick up a hard copy of the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA) from any U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

You should also complete a new Federal Postcard Application if you have moved or changed your name since the last time you voted.

Voting
Your local voting officials should mail your absentee ballot 30 to 45 days before the November 4 general election.  Return your voted ballot as early as possible.  Be aware of your state’s ballot receipt deadline, as well as any postmarking requirements.

Emergency Ballots
The Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) serves as an emergency ballot for voters who registered in time but fail to receive an official ballot from local election officials.  You can access the FWAB using www.fvap.gov as well.

Questions?
The Voting Assistance Officer at the U.S. Embassy is also always available to answer questions about absentee voting.  To contact the Voting Assistance Officer, call 011-5777-4818 or send an e-mail to VoteBuenosAires@state.gov.

If you use the online application, it will generate a ballot request PDF file for you to download and then mail or fax to the local voting office of your last U.S. address. They will then send you a ballot via mail or fax when it’s time to vote. (Need a fax number? Check out eFax for a free incoming fax-to-email service. You have to pay to send faxes.)

So, what are you waiting for? Get registered to vote now.

Comments { 1 }

Learning Spanish

By on in Living, Planning

I had my first Spanish lesson on Tuesday, and thanks to reading another blog, I found a great teacher, Marco Luccón who runs Hablar en Buenos Aires. He’s 24 and really loves languages and teaching. He has split his apartment in Palermo into a living area and a classroom (complete with whiteboard) and has prepared many of his own materials.  I had originally decided to take two classes per week, but now that I’m realizing how much I actually need to learn, I’m going to see about bumping that up to three classes per week. He charges AR $30/hour for individual lessons and AR $44/hour for group lessons. His web site slogan is “Now learning Spanish is fun and easy” and while I’m not so sure about that, so far, the class has been great.

I’d strongly recommend Marco if you’re in the area. I also interviewed a couple of great private tutors who will come to your house, but I decided I needed something to get me out of the apartment. I also considered enrolling in a group class, but I liked Marco’s approach more. If you’re looking for advice on what may be best for you, the BA Expats Forum is a great place to ask for recommendations for schools or tutors.

I also have a copy of Rosetta Stone, which is a great program.  I started to use it before I moved, but did not keep up with it. I’m planning to go back to that as well to learn as much as I can as quickly as possible.

There are also a number of new Web 2.0 sites that promise to help you learn Spanish:

I didn’t use these too much, but they may be another good resource for you. I’ll let you know how my lessons progress.

Comments { 7 }

Not Everything Goes According to Plan – Part II

By on in Planning

As much as you may plan, not everything always goes according to that plan. Case in point: while all my luggage made it in one piece, not all the contents of the luggage made it in one piece.  I just discovered this today when I moved into my new apartment and I hooked up my computer and LCD screen.

Yep, my LCD screen is completely busted – cracked beyond repair. It now looks like moderrn art, so while I may set it up on the wall in the living room (just kidding), it’s not going to do me much good in the office.  Luckily, the apartment came with a computer that has a small monitor, so I’m making do, but I’ll be looking for a new LCD shortly. The one thing that I didn’t want to do since electronics are so expensive here. Oh well, in the grand scheme of what has happened in the last day, this is relatively minor. I still have not had the energy to write all about that, but it will be coming shortly…look for Part I.

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I Made It (Eventually)

By on in Planning

After nearly 24 hours of traveling, I made it to the temporary condo in Buenos Aires yesterday.  I left for the 4:30pm flight out of JFK at around noon on Tuesday making sure to give myself enough time to check the extra luggage and make sure I got through security with a carry-on full of electronics and Delilah. By 1:30pm, I was already at the gate! There was no traffic, no lines, and no issues.  I boarded the plane on time and started to taxi for takeoff. Ahhh…I’m on my way…I’ll have no problem with the hour and a half layover in Atlanta to catch our connecting flight to BsAs.

Four hours later and I’m still sitting on the tarmac at JFK. The Atlanta airport had closed because of storms and we were waiting for it to re-open. Ughh. Delilah had been very well behaved on her first flight, but was growing restless. The lunch we had that was supposed to take us through dinner was long gone. They did offer us free headsets and a free movie – Fool’s Gold with Matthew McConaughey. Ughh, again. I was pretty sure I was going to miss the connection and end up spending the night in Atlanta.

Luckily, the weather cleared and we finally took off. Since the problems were in Atlanta it turned out that all the flights were delayed! The flight to BsAs didn’t leave until 11:15pm, so I made it with time to spare. I arrived in BsAs only about 3 hours later than scheduled and caught a private bus (only U$55) that I had reserved to the apartment. I had so many bags I needed a bus since their taxis are pretty small.

I pretty much collapsed when I got in, but I made it safe and sound with Delilah and all the bags. I’ve had a bunch of other excitement already, but that will have to wait for another day…

Comments { 6 }