Dealing with government, Life in France

Vote

When you get a letter that starts out with “It has come to our attention….” it gives you one of those “uh-oh” moments. In this case it was from the Orange County Florida Board of Elections where we are registered to vote. It went on to say that the address we had given them was a business and that in order to vote they would need our residential address. During the first few years that we lived in France, Bill’s sister (thank you, Cheryl) was nice enough to keep track of our postal mail until we could arrange for a mail forwarding service. Once that was in place with our new address we moved our voter registration to Orange County, received our ID cards, and prepared to participate in the next election…until this letter arrived.

Our last US residential address was in Nassau County, Florida from where we had been using an absentee ballot for years. The Board of Elections would email the ballot to us, we would print it out and mark our choices, airmail it back via the French La Poste, and get an email confirmation a couple of weeks later that our ballot had been received by the Board. Once we moved our address to the mail forwarding service in Orange County we expected that to continue but now we see, at least for Florida, that you must use your last US residential address to register, even if you no longer have any ties to that address. The application form, details below, specifically states, “Your voting materials will not be sent to this address.”

An Internet search for US citizens voting from overseas shows that many organizations provide information about this important obligation. The one we chose was the Federal Voting Assistance Program https://www.fvap.gov/ that includes information for each state and allows you to fill in and/or print out a pdf of the application form, Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) that I mentioned above.

We have been asked why we are even voting in US elections if we live in France. Bill and I remain tax-paying US citizens and respect our right and responsibility to vote. The US makes an important contribution to the world and we think that it’s vital to have a voice in our country’s governance. Until the 19th amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1920, half of the US population couldn’t vote so we take this very seriously. 

All images are from the FVAP.gov website.

14 thoughts on “Vote”

  1. I agree completely about the importance of voting. I’m a dual British/French citizen so vote in the elections of both countries, with my UK vote (for national elections only) being counted in the parliamentary constituency in which I last lived. They have just changed the law to enable UK citizens to keep their vote as previously it was lost after 15 years residency overseas. I always think that people won’t bother voting if they no longer feel ties to that country but like you I still complete a UK tax declaration in respect of UK income and have UK pension rights etc, so feel it’s important to keep exercising that right.
    What voting rights do you have? Presumably for the presidency but other votes too?
    Interestingly France has specific representatives in the (lower house) chamber of deputies for its citizens living overseas, which is not the case for British citizens.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks for that info from the British perspective. In the US, as you guessed, we can vote in national elections (President, House of Representative, Senate) but also all State and local elections as well, just as if we were physically there. I probably investigate the candidates’ positions on issues now more than I ever did when we were in the US. In France, while we await citizenship here, we’re limited to an advisory role such as how to spend a portion of the city’s budget, but we’re grateful for even that input.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Hi – interested in this reply and hopefully not an intrusive question. I am currently living in France full time (helped by my dual Irish-British nationality as born in Northern Ireland) and approaching the one year mark. I am about to embark on process on declaring I have left UK for tax purposes in order to make a tax declaration here in France and presumably pay tax on my UK pension here? Are you living between the two countries that you still have to complete a UK tax declaration for UK income? Kind regards, Gary

      Like

      1. Hi, no living fully in France. The tax declaration is for UK income from a rental property and also interest on UK savings accounts. Luckily it’s split between me and my partner (2 separate declarations) so falls under the threshold for each of us. If tax was due it would be credited against the french tax payable as the income has to be declared in France too – but they ensure that you don’t pay tax twice.
        Some UK pensions have UK tax applied ie Government pensions (eg civil servant, forces, etc). Private pensions and the state pension are declared in France only. There’s a lot of information online about what has to be declared in which country.

        Like

  2. Hi Bob, I couldn’t agree more with you on the importance of voting, something that should never be dismissed lightly. I think this year, perhaps more than ever before, the US presidential election will be a critical moment for democracy there and around the world. With that in mind, can I wish you both a very Happy New Year and thank you again for your endlessly informative posts here. Best wishes for 2024! Gary

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Happy New Year to you both, and many thanks for your blog and the work you put into it. I always look forward to reading of your adventures and practical tips for life here in France.
    I have a lot to say about the attempted or real disenfranchisement of US citizens no matter where they live, but I’ll leave that so as not to upset your readers. I have voted by absentee ballot in all state and federal elections for the 23 years I’ve lived in Europe, and I have yet to have this issue but part of the reason that I vote is to ensure that I never do!
    I hope every American citizen living overseas will heed your very good advice on how to make sure their votes are counted.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Katherine, it’s a pleasure to write these stories especially when I know that someone enjoys reading them and that they might even be helpful. Bill and I obviously agree with you on the importance of voting and we wish you a Happy New Year!

      Like

  4. Thanks so much for this important post!! And wishing you both a happy new year (in which we have to make a difference by voting 🙂 :)). cheers, Elise

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Hi Bob,
    As always I love and agree with your statements. I was a foreigner to US soil and couldn’t wait to register when I became a US citizen. I registered the same day I was sworn in. Many people gave their lives fighting for the privilege and right to vote and I take it very seriously. Whether my candidate wins or loses I have no right to complain if I don’t vote for what I believe in. Thanks again. Happy to know you still cast your vote.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you so much! My father was one of the millions who fought in WWII so you can bet that I will continue to vote to maintain the democracy for which they sacrificed. In France, when you become a citizen, sometimes your first notice of that achievement is from the mayor’s office saying that you are now registered to vote. I’m ready for that letter!

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Hello you two, Bill and Bob!

    Wishing you both a smooth beginning with 2024.
    May good health, happiness and luck be part of the New Year for you two.

    Fond greetings from Augsburg, Bavaria.

    Susanne

    Liked by 2 people

Comments are closed.