Message for U.S. Citizens: Returning Ballots for Georgia U.S. Senate Special Runoff on January 5, 2021

Message for U.S. Citizens
November 18, 2020
Returning Ballots for Georgia U.S. Senate Special Runoff on January 5, 2021

Georgia voters living in Ecuador can drop off their absentee ballot at the U.S. Embassy in Quito or Consulate General in Guayaquil for the two U.S. Senate Special Runoff elections.  More information about voting in Georgia is available on the Federal Voter Assistance Program website for Georgia: https://www.fvap.gov/guide/chapter2/Georgia.

Georgia voters must register by December 7, 2020, to be eligible to vote in the Special Runoff.  You can register to vote in Georgia via e-mail, fax, or mail.  Given the proximity to the election, we strongly encourage voters who are not already registered to vote to do so by e-mail.

If you are already registered to vote in Georgia and want to drop off your ballot at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate General for delivery to Georgia, please do so as soon as possible. Mail delivery times from Ecuador to the United States are between 4-6 weeks.  Ballots must be postmarked by January 5, 2021 and be received no later than the 3rd day after the election.

You can drop off your ballot inside a sealed, pre-printed and postage-paid envelope (available at https://www.fvap.gov/eo/overview/materials/forms) at the times and locations specified below:

  • U.S. Embassy Quito
    Tuesdays between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
    Please note that when you go to drop off your ballot, you will be required to enter the U.S. Embassy. You may not enter with any bags and will be required to leave your phone at the security desk. Face masks are mandatory at all times. Please maintain social distancing (6 feet, 2 meters).
  • U.S. Consulate Guayaquil
    Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

    Please make sure you check the holiday calendar for dates when the Embassy or Consulate will be closed.

Alternatively, you can opt to use an express courier service (at your own cost) to make sure your ballot arrives to your election official before the deadline. Remember that some couriers do not ship to P.O. boxes.

If you are expecting a paper ballot by mail but have not received it, consider using the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB). Georgia accepts the FWAB in lieu of the local ballot. You can use the FWAB as an emergency, back-up option if you do not have time to return your local ballot. To download the FWAB, visit the website for the Federal Voting Assistance Program at https://www.fvap.gov/fwab-privacy-notice.

For more information on Georgia’s requirements and deadlines, please visit www.FVAP.gov. If you have any questions, please contact VoteQuito@state.gov or VoteGuayaquil@state.gov.


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