If you are a resident of Ramsey County who is serving in the armed forces or living overseas and are interested in voting by absentee ballot in the 2008 state elections, please be aware that mail transit times may be erratic in or lengthy to and from some countries.
If you are uncertain of the mail delivery services in your area, you may wish to take the following steps to ensure that we receive your voted ballot no later than September 9 for the state primary and November 4 for the presidential election.
- Use an express delivery service, such as USPS Express Mail, FedEx, UPS, DHL or similar service. If you or one of your relatives provides our office with a pre-paid express mailer, or with a credit card number and expiration date, we will use an express carrier to send you the ballot. We suggest that you return the ballot to us in same manner. FedEx is offering to carry absentee ballots from overseas locations to the United States at reduced costs. Go to FedEx website for more information. For FedEx or other express delivery service to our office, use the following street address: Ramsey County Elections, 90 West Plato Boulevard, St Paul MN 55107.
- Make contact with the US embassy or US consulate near you, or if you are serving in the armed forces, make sure you know who your voting assistance officer is. The staff at the embassies and consulates or the voting assistance officer may be able to expedite delivery of your voted ballot to the United States.
- If you are concerned that your regular ballot may not get to you in time or that you will not be able to return it to us in time, obtain a federal write-in ballot which is available from voting assistance officers at US embassies, US consulates and US military installations.
You may also provide us with your e-mail address or fax number and we can electronically transmit the ballot to you. However, you will need to return the voted ballot to us by one of the methods indicated in items #1 and #2 above.
You may cast votes for president and vice-president, US senator and US representative using the federal write-in ballot if you (1) have applied for a ballot in time for us to have received your application at least 30 days before the election and (2) have not received a ballot or are unsure that your ballot will be returned to us by election day.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the absentee voting process, please contact us Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. U.S. Central Time.
FAQs for Military and Overseas Voters from Ramsey County
Q: Can I vote for president on the state primary ballot?
A: No, the offices of president and vice-president are not on the state primary ballot. They will be on the state general election ballot, which will be sent to voters serving in the armed forces or residing overseas in late September.
Q. Can I have a ballot e-mailed to me?
A: Yes, we can e-mail the ballot to you but you must return your voted ballot to us in a sealed envelope by mail, express service or courier.
Q: Who can apply for an absentee ballot?
A: If you are serving in the armed forces or residing overseas, you may apply yourself or your parent, child over 18, spouse or sibling may apply to Ramsey County Elections on your behalf.
Q: How do I apply for an absentee ballot?
A: You may apply for an absentee ballot by filling out the following form and faxing or delivering to us.
Q: When do I need to apply for an absentee ballot?
A: You should apply as soon as you can. Absentee voting for the state primary will begin on August 8 and for the presidential election on October 3. We expect to mail ballots to applicants in the armed forces and persons residing overseas on or about July 25 for the state primary and September 26 for the presidential election.
Remember, mail often takes an extended amount of time to reach overseas voters. From Europe, plan on at least 5-7 business days for transit time in each direction. In Africa and Asia, transit time can be 2-3 weeks or more in each direction.
Q: How can I expedite this process?
A: If you provide a credit card number or account number for an express service, we will make arrangements to have the ballot sent out to you this way. You may also express service the ballot back to us. If you use an express delivery service to return your voted ballot to our office, use the following street address: Ramsey County Elections, 90 West Plato Boulevard, St Paul MN 55107.
Q: What if I am permanently residing outside the United States?
A: You will be sent a federal ballot, containing the offices of president and vice-president, US Senator and US Representative only. Be sure to note if you are permanently residing overseas on your absentee ballot application or FPCA. You are eligible to vote from the last address you lived at before leaving the United States, even if you no longer maintain a residence there, and your vote will be counted in that precinct.
For more information on Absentee Voting Outside the U.S., go to the MN Secretary of State website.
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