This year’s U.S. presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump will be held on November 5. If you have the date circled on your calendar, you may have already taken the steps necessary to cast your absentee ballot. If you don’t and you haven’t, however, the Herald is here to walk you through the process, ahead of your state’s deadline. 

First things first, you’ll want to make sure that you’re registered to vote, as many states require re-registration, even if you voted in the last election cycle. To do this, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) here. The U.S. embassy in Argentina also notes that all overseas U.S. citizens must complete what is known as a Federal Post Card Application (FCPA), which functions both as a registration and an absentee ballot request form, so you can skip ahead straight to this page on the FVAP site. Just select your home state (or the state where you were last registered to vote in the United States) and follow the instructions.

When you fill out your FCPA, the embassy recommends that you click the Email/Online button under the heading “Method to Receive Ballot.” This will ensure that you receive your form as soon as your registration is processed. 

To complete your registration, you’ll be prompted to generate a pdf of your FVAP form and an envelope for your state’s election office. For this, you’ll either need to use a home printer or send the electronic documents to your nearest copy shop to format and prepare. 

If you’re worried about your registration paperwork reaching its destination in a timely fashion, we recommend using a courier service like DHL. Just keep in mind that you could be paying tens of thousands of pesos extra for the peace of mind.

Once you’ve received your ballot, make sure to sign it and the envelope provided before returning them; otherwise, your vote may not be counted. Some states offer a window of time to “cure” your ballot by adding missing information, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. All states are required to distribute paper ballots to registered absentee voters 45 days before the election.

There are three ways to submit your physical ballot. You can mail it with Argentina’s state service, Correo Argentino; ship it via a private courier; or place it in the diplomatic pouch at the United States Embassy in Buenos Aires, located on Avenida Colombia 4300. The latter option is free, but keep in mind that your envelope must bear appropriate U.S. postage and can take up to four weeks to reach its final destination. This means you’ll want to drop it off no later than October 5 (or earlier, if you can).

The U.S. embassy is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on holidays. Electronic submission is the preferred method of ballot return where the option is offered, so be sure to check with your local election office or consult the FVAP site to see if you’re eligible. Many states will allow you confirm your ballot delivery online at the FVAP site here.

The first (and possibly only) Harris-Trump debate was held on Tuesday night and can be viewed in its entirety via The Wall Street Journal’s YouTube channel. For more information about the candidates, you can visit the vice president’s website here and the Republican nominee’s website here.