Why overseas ballots get rejected, and how to avoid it

The good news first: nearly every overseas ballot that reaches an election office gets counted. The few that don't usually fail for boring, avoidable reasons, and most of them come down to time.

The short version

In the 2020 general election, 99.2 percent of UOCAVA ballots received by the election offices in FVAP's study were counted, and 0.8 percent were rejected [1].
Late arrival is the big one. Rejected ballots tended to arrive close to Election Day, and over 60 percent of those rejected for reasons other than an invalid ballot arrived less than 10 days out [1].
The national election survey sorts rejections into late arrival, signature problems, missing postmark and "other" [2]. Those are the traps to plan around.
Some states require witness signatures on certain forms. Alabama wants two on the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB); Alaska, Virginia and Wisconsin want one [3].
Federal law gives you a free way to check whether your ballot was received [4]. Use it, and keep your email current so the office can reach you if something needs fixing.

The numbers: small, but not zero

FVAP looked at ballot outcomes by receipt date for the 2020 general election. Of the ballots from military and overseas voters that participating offices received, "99.2 percent ... were counted," and "the remaining 0.8 percent ... were rejected for varying reasons" [1].

That sounds tiny, and it is. But 0.8 percent of a big number is still a lot of people who did the work and didn't get a say. And those figures only cover ballots that showed up. A ballot stuck in a sorting center in Frankfurt, or one that never got sent because the voter's FPCA had an old email, doesn't show up in a rejection count at all. It just quietly doesn't happen.

The pattern in FVAP's data is the useful part. For overseas citizens, "almost 70 percent of counted ballots were received in election offices 10 or more days before Election Day," and the rejected ones skewed late [1]. Early ballots get counted. Late ones get into trouble, partly because there's no time left to fix a problem.

The six most common mistakes

1. It arrived too late

The national Election Administration and Voting Survey, run by the Election Assistance Commission, asks every local office how many overseas and military ballots it rejected for arriving late, as its own category [2]. Late arrival has a few causes:

Waiting too long to vote. The ballot should go out at least 45 days before a federal election [4]. Voting the week it arrives is the single best habit you can build.
Slow international mail. Two or three weeks each way isn't unusual from some countries.
Misreading the deadline. Some states count ballots postmarked by Election Day that arrive a few days later. California gives mailed ballots 7 days, if postmarked on or before Election Day [5]. Others go by receipt only. Texas wants overseas ballots in hand by the fifth day after Election Day [6]. A faxed ballot in California must arrive by 8 p.m. on Election Day [5].

The fix: Treat the receipt date as your real deadline, aim to have the ballot at the election office at least 10 days early, and use email, fax or an online portal if your state accepts them. Our guide to getting and returning your ballot from abroad explains which states take electronic returns.

2. A signature problem

Signature problems are their own category in the national survey [2]. That covers a missing signature, one in the wrong spot, or one that doesn't look enough like the signature on file. FVAP's forms are full of reminders: sign and date the FPCA, sign and date the FWAB's Voter Information page, and sign the secrecy waiver if you email or fax a voted ballot [3].

The fix: Before you seal anything, go through every page and look for signature lines. Sign the way you signed your FPCA or your old driver's license application, not a quick scribble. If a missing or mismatched signature can be fixed, FVAP notes that only works when there's still time before the deadline, which is one more reason to send early [1].

3. A missing witness

This trips up people who've moved abroad from a state that never asked for one, or who are voting from a state that changed its rules. FVAP's guide lists witness requirements for the FWAB: Alabama needs two witness signatures, while Alaska, Virginia and Wisconsin each need one [3]. Some states also put a witness line on the regular ballot envelope, so read yours.

Your state's instructions say who can serve as a witness, so read them before you grab the first person in the office. If a form ever calls for a notary, check your nearest US embassy or consulate's notarial services early, because appointments can book up in the weeks before an election.

The fix: Read the ballot envelope and instructions the day the ballot arrives, so you can line up a witness before you need one.

4. No usable postmark

The national survey also counts ballots rejected for lacking a postmark [2]. In a postmark state, the date stamp is the proof you mailed it in time. Foreign postal services don't always stamp the way the USPS does, and some send envelopes through without a legible date.

The fix: Don't rely on a foreign postmark to save a late ballot. Mail early, ask at the counter for a dated receipt, or use the diplomatic pouch at a US embassy or consulate with US postage or an FVAP postage-paid envelope [7]. A courier with tracking is another option where your state accepts it.

5. Old or wrong details

A ballot can't count if it never reached you, and it never reaches you if your FPCA has an old address or a dead email. FVAP's state guides tell voters to complete a new FPCA "each year and every time your address changes" [8]. FVAP also warns against using a PO Box for your US voting residence [3].

The fix: Send a fresh FPCA every January and after every move, add a second email, and double-check your last US street address. Our step-by-step guide on registering from abroad covers each line.

6. Paperwork in the wrong order

This is the grab-bag "other" category [2]. Common examples:

Writing your name on the ballot. FVAP says not to put your name or any ID number, like a Social Security or driver's license number, on the FWAB's official ballot [3]. Some states can't count a ballot that identifies the voter.
A missing oath or cover sheet. California's fax option also needs a signed Oath of Voter form [5]. An emailed or faxed FWAB needs the transmission cover sheet [3].
Using the FWAB before you're registered. Texas and Alabama only accept it from voters who are already registered and have asked for a ballot [6][9]. See our guide to the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot.
A primary ballot you aren't eligible for. In states with closed primaries, an empty party box on your FPCA can mean no primary ballot at all. The general election isn't affected. Our guide to primaries and caucuses from abroad has details.

One "rejection" isn't a problem at all. If you send an FWAB and your regular ballot also arrives, the office counts only one, and the survey records the FWAB as rejected because the regular ballot was counted [2]. Your vote still counts.

Quick reference: problem and fix

Problem	What it looks like	How to avoid it
Late arrival	Ballot lands after the state's receipt deadline	Vote the week it arrives; aim for 10+ days early; return electronically if allowed
Signature	Missing, misplaced or doesn't match	Check every signature line before sealing
Witness	Blank witness line in a state that requires one	Read the envelope on day one and line up a witness
No postmark	Foreign mail with no legible date	Mail early, get a dated receipt, or use the embassy pouch
Old details	Ballot sent to a dead email or old address	New FPCA every January and after any move
Paperwork	Name on the ballot, missing oath or cover sheet	Follow your state's instructions page by page

Track it, then fix it

Under the MOVE Act, states must "allow UOCAVA voters to track the receipt of their absentee ballots through a free access system" [4]. Most states do this through a voter lookup on the secretary of state's or county's website. Texas, for example, has an online portal for overseas and military voters, and it also publishes guidance on correcting an application or carrier envelope [6].

Here's how to use tracking to save a ballot:

Note the day you send it and how you sent it.
Check the lookup a few days later for email or fax returns, or about a week after expected delivery for mail.
No sign of it? Email your local election office. Include your full name, date of birth and voting address so they can find you fast.
If they flag a problem, such as a missing signature, ask exactly what they need and by when. Some states let you fix it by email; others need a signed form back.
If time is short and nothing has arrived, consider sending an FWAB as well. If both arrive, only one counts [3].

Keep an eye on your inbox in the weeks around Election Day, including the spam folder. A message from a county clerk's office is easy to miss between Black Friday ads.

Why overseas ballots get rejected: the common mistakes and how to fix them