Voting

Mailing Options for Voting Materials

Voters in Switzerland have a number of options for mailing Federal Postcard Applications, voted state ballots, and Federal Write-in Absentee Ballots to their local election officials in the United States.  Mailing addresses for local election officials and state mailing deadlines can be found in the Voting Assistance Guide, available on-line at www.fvap.gov.

1. First Class Mail:  You may mail your Federal Postcard Application or voted ballot to the United States through the Swiss Priority Mail system, with appropriate international postage.  Mail to the U.S. takes approximately 3-7 days.
2. Diplomatic Pouch:  Diplomatic pouch to the East Coast takes approximately 10 days.  Processing of mail at the diplomatic pouch facility in the Washington, D.C. area and onward delivery by the U.S. Postal Service to local election officials across the U.S. can take another one to four days.  The Consular Section will place a date stamp and seal on your ballot as evidence of the date and location from which the ballot was mailed.  However, this is not a postmark.  Voters should make every effort to submit their ballots to the U.S. Embassy no later than October 14 for diplomatic pouch mail.
3. Express Courier:  Last-minute voters can use express courier services such as FedEx, UPS and DHL to send their voted ballots to all states and territories except Alabama.  Express courier companies cannot deliver to post office boxes, so you will need to know the street address of your local voting official in the United States.  Mail sent by express courier companies is not postmarked.  Contact information for some local express courier companies follows: