The U.S. Presidential Election will be held Tuesday, November 3, 2020. In some states, the deadline to register and/or request a ballot was October 5th. Please check the Federal Voter Assistance Program’s website for information about your state’s deadline for voter registration and ballot request.
If you have already completed a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) in 2020 and requested electronic delivery of your ballot, you will be receiving your blank ballot or instructions for how to access your ballot soon if you have not already received it. If you are not sure about the status of your absentee ballot request, you should contact your local election officials in the United States or check the status of your registration via your state’s voter registration verification website.
If you do not receive an absentee ballot in time to return it to your state, you can use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot as a backup to vote for federal offices. (If your official absentee ballot arrives after you send in the FWAB, then you can fill out and send in the official ballot as well. Your state will count only one.)
Please note that it can take up to four weeks for mail to reach its destination if sent through the Embassy or Consulate. Therefore, the deadline to submit your ballots to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate has passed. If you missed this deadline, U.S. citizens still have the option to send the ballot via international courier services such as UPS and FedEx.
Using international courier services to send in your completed ballot: The U.S. Mission in Nigeria has coordinated with UPS, FedEx, DHL to accept mail in ballots nationwide. Shipping fees will apply. UPS has offered a discounted shipping rate for mail-in ballots.
Please note: Although FedEx, through their local partners RedStar Express, will accept mail in ballots, they are unable to ship to a P.O. box. Please review your voting office mailing address to determine the mailing address.
For more information on residential pickups or drop off locations, please contact UPS, RedStar Express, or DHL using the information below:
UPS:
Email: ngcustomerservice@ups.com
Phone: +234 9 06 550 9044
RedStar Express:
Email: mib@redstarplc.com
Phone: +2348165989915 or +2348038072449
DHL:
Phone: +2348039077000
Your state may also allow you to return your ballot by fax or email. If your state allows electronic submission, this is the recommended method for casting your ballot to make sure it is received by your state’s deadline.
Your Vote Counts
All states are required to count every absentee ballot as long as it is valid and reaches local election officials by the absentee ballot receipt deadline (differs by state).
Be an educated voter. Check out the FVAP links page for helpful resources that will aid your research of candidates and issues. You can also read national and hometown newspapers online and search the Internet to locate articles and information.
To receive information by email about election dates and deadlines, subscribe to FVAP’s Voting Alerts (vote@fvap.gov). FVAP also shares Voting Alerts via Facebook and Twitter.
For information on security in Nigeria:
- See the State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, the Travel Advisories and Alerts, the Nigeria Travel Advisory, the Nigeria Country Information, and the Crime and Safety Reports for Nigeria
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program(STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Contact the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, located at Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, at +234 (9) 461-4000, prompt 2 [ACS only], Monday – Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +234 (9) 461-4000 and press zero. Email at AbujaACS@state.gov for American services.
- Contact the U.S. Consulate in Lagos, located 2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, at +234 (1) 460-3400, Monday – Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +234 (1) 460 3400. Email LagosACS@state.gov for American Services.
- Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
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