How American citizens in Ireland can vote in this year's US federal elections

The US Embassy in Dublin has outlined how American citizens living in Ireland can vote in the upcoming US federal elections for the House of Representatives, Senate, and US Presidency in 2024. 

The US Embassy said in a statement that many federal elections for Congress and Senate have been decided by a slim margin, often less than the number of ballots cast by absentee voters. 

The Embassy said anyone wishing to vote in the upcoming Federal elections must complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) after January 1, 2024. 

The FPCA allows American citizens living overseas to request absentee ballots for federal elections, including primaries and special elections that take place throughout the year. 

The FPCA, which is accepted by all local election officials in every US state and territory, can be completed online and can be accessed here. 

The Embassy advises all American voters in Ireland to request blank ballots to be delivered electronically - by email, internet download, or fax. 

States will send out ballots at least 45 days before a regular election and generally send out ballots for primary elections 30 days before the election takes place. 

While some states will allow voters to cast their ballot electronically, others require voters to return paper voting forms to local election offices. 

In that case, voters can do so free of charge at the US Embassy at 42 Elgin Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin, or the US Consulate at 223 Stranmillis Road in Belfast. 

Voters wishing to cast a paper ballot should place the completed ballot in a postage-paid return envelope or in an envelope bearing sufficient domestic U.S. postage. Ballots should be addressed to relevant local election officials. 

In the meantime, the US Embassy is advising citizens in Ireland to research candidates and issues ahead of the upcoming federal elections of the Federal Voting Assistance Program's (FVAP's) website.

FVAP regularly sends information about election dates and deadlines through their Voting Alerts. Email vote@fvap.gov to subscribe or follow FVAP on Facebook or Twitter.

While American citizens in Ireland can vote from abroad, the same right has not been afforded to Irish citizens living abroad who want to vote in Irish elections. 

A 2013 report from the Irish Convention on the Constitution, however, recommended that Irish citizens resident outside of Ireland should have the right to vote in Irish presidential elections. 

As such, the Irish government intended to host a referendum on whether or not Irish citizens abroad could vote in Irish presidential elections. The referendum was planned for 2019, but it was ultimately delayed largely due to Brexit, and later, Covid.

Votingrights.ie continues to advocate for voting rights for the Irish diaspora.