October 19, 2022
Subject: Message for U.S. Citizens: Election Day is November 8
Check the deadline for your ballot based on your state. For American citizens outside the United States, the recommended vote-by day for the 2022 General Election is October 24, 2022. Refer to your state’s instructions on FVAP.gov for ways to return your completed ballot as some states allow voters to submit ballots online.
If you requested your ballot but haven’t received it, contact your election office to ask about the status of your ballot request. If there isn’t enough time to receive and send back your ballot before the election, use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB). It works like a backup ballot. If your official absentee ballot arrives after sending in the FWAB, fill out and send in the official ballot too. Only one will be counted.
After you send in your ballot, you can check if it was received by your election office.
Voters are strongly encouraged to submit ballots directly to their home states via email or fax where possible. Where mail-in ballots are the only option, please consider using a courier service to send your ballot directly to your home state to be counted. Learn more about your state’s voting regulations at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s website (https://www.FVAP.gov/).
As a last resort, eligible voters are permitted to drop off ballots without an appointment at the American Citizen Services Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem or Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv. Ballots can be dropped off at the drop box outside at the U.S. Embassy Jerusalem from 8:00AM-2:00PM Monday through Friday or inside at the Embassy Branch Office Tel Aviv from 8:00AM-2:00PM on Monday through Friday. No appointment is necessary. Please note that it can take up to four weeks for mail to reach its destination if sent by diplomatic pouch. The diplomatic pouch leaves weekly on Tuesday mornings. Ballots should be dropped off no later than Monday to be included in the weekly pouch shipment.
Just a reminder that embassies and consulate are not polling places, and eligible voters cannot vote in-person there. We can only send your ballot to your election office.
Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) website, FVAP.gov. If you have any questions about registering to vote overseas, please contact U.S. Embassy Jerusalem Voting Assistance Officer at VoteJerusalem@state.gov or the U.S. Embassy Jerusalem, Branch Office Tel Aviv Voting Assistance Officer at VoteTelAviv@state.gov.
Actions to Take:
- All U.S. citizens should enroll in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and ensure you can be contacted in an emergency.
- Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 for information on conditions in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza..
- Refer to our website for the latest Alerts and Messages for U.S. citizens.
Assistance:
U.S. Embassy Jerusalem
14 David Flusser St.
Jerusalem
Routine: click here
Emergency (life or death): JerusalemACS@state.gov
Phone: +972-2-630-4000
Website: https://il.usembassy.gov/
U.S. Embassy Branch Office Tel Aviv
71 HaYarkon St.
Tel Aviv
Routine: click here
Emergency (life or death): TelAvivACS@state.gov
Phone: +972-3-519-7575
Website: https://il.usembassy.gov/
