NEW YORK TO HOLD A SPECIAL ELECTION FOR CONGRESS – MAY 24, 2011

On Tuesday, May 24, 2011, New York will hold a special election for the 26th Congressional District, to fill the seat vacated by Representative Christopher J. Lee. The 26th Congressional District includes the following counties: Erie, Genesee,Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming.

To determine if your legal residence is in the 26th Congressional District, go to: http://www.house.gov/, then use the "Find Your Representative" dialog on the upper left corner.

Register to Vote and Request Your Ballot Now!

To vote in this election you must register by submitting a post-marked Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) by April 29, 2011. New York also allows you to email or fax the FPCA, but you still must mail it as well to insure you meet the signature requirements.

Your FPCA must be received by your local New York Board of Elections Office by May 4, 2011. Go to www.fvap.gov and get started! It only takes a few minutes! Alternately you may obtain an FPCA from your unit or installation voting assistance officer and at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide; but you must follow the New York instructions given at www.fvap.gov. Indicate on the FPCA how you would like to receive your absentee ballot, by mail, email, or fax. You will not receive a ballot automatically, even if you voted in the November 2, 2010 general election.

If you are registering in person at one of the seven county board of elections offices, the deadline to register is May 13, 2011.

If you are already registered to vote, the deadline for submitting an FPCA to request a ballot is May 17, 2011, or 7 days before the election.

Send the FPCA by Email, Fax or Mail

If you choose to email your FPCA, you should send the form to the email address listed below for the correct county office where you reside in the 26th Congressional District. If you choose to fax your FPCA, fax the form to the fax number listed below for the correct county office where you reside. You may also use the DoD Electronic Transmission Service to fax your FPCA toll-free. To use the Electronic Transmission Service, use the cover sheet available in the Voting Assistance Guide, or at FVAP.gov, and fax to: (703)-693-5527, DSN 223-5527, or toll-free from the U.S., Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands to 1-800-368-8683. International toll-free numbers can be found at FVAP.gov. Voter Alert Telephone: 703-588-1584 E-mail: vote@fvap.gov.

Submit your FPCA to the District 26 election office in which you reside:

Receive Your Ballot

Ballots will be mailed and emailed to you starting on April 8, 2011.

Vote Your Ballot

Your voted ballot must be postmarked by May 23, 2011, and must be received by June 6, 2011, in order to be counted.

You must return your voted ballot and signed affidavit by regular mail, or you can send it via a licensed motor carrier such as Federal Express, UPS or DSL.

Civilians residing outside the U.S.: Contact your closest U.S. Embassy or consulate for specific instructions on how voted ballots, with proper domestic postage attached, can be returned to the United States from any U.S. embassy or consulate. To locate your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, visit http://www.usembassy.gov/.

If a voter is concerned about not receiving their ballot in time to vote, they may use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB, SF-186). The FWAB instructions are available at www.fvap.gov . The FWAB is also available in embassies and consulates and military installations around the world.

To check the status of your absentee ballot visit: https://newyork.overseasvotefoundation.org/overseas/home.htm

Additional Information

State specific information on precincts, candidates, elections, and voting is available at the New York state board of elections website, www.elections.state.ny.us/.

FVAP is currently seeking public input on the redesign of forms used in registration, ballot request and voting. If you would like more information go to www.fvap.gov/global/news/2011news/nr6-2011.html.

FVAP can be contacted via 1-800-438-8683. Citizens may reach FVAP toll-free from 67 countries by using the toll-free numbers listed on the FVAP website, www.fvap.gov/contact/tollfreephone.html". Questions regarding the above may also be referred to the Director, Federal Voting Assistance Program, Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC, 20301-1155, vote@fvap.gov, and on the World Wide Web at www.fvap.gov