Message for U.S. Citizens:  Absentee Voting Virtual Town Hall

United States Embassy Ottawa, Canada
Message for U.S. Citizens:  Absentee Voting Virtual Town Hall
September 23, 2016

The U.S. Embassy will host a virtual town hall meeting for U.S. citizens on September 26 at 2:00 p.m ET.   Ambassador Bruce Heyman and Mrs. Vicki Heyman will open the hour-long video chat, and then turn the floor over to U.S. consular officers who will field questions on voter eligibility requirements, registration procedures, and the steps to obtain and submit an absentee ballot from abroad.

American citizens wishing participate in the virtual town hall may access the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI0r2Jiepr0

Be an Active Voter by taking the necessary steps to vote in the 2016 U.S. elections and participating in Absentee Voting Week!  In many states, the voter registration deadline for the November 2016 elections is October 10.

If you have any questions about registering to vote overseas, please contact Ottawa’s Voting Assistance Officer at +1 (613) 688-5301 or +1 (613) 688-5300, or at VoteOttawa@state.gov

We strongly recommend that U.S. citizens traveling or residing abroad enroll in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at travel.state.gov.   STEP enrollment gives you the latest security updates and makes it easier for the U.S. embassy or nearest U.S. consulate to contact you in an emergency.  If you don’t have Internet access, enroll directly with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

Monitor the current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts, and the Worldwide Caution on State Department’s website.  Read the Country Specific Information for Canada.  For additional information, refer to the “Traveler’s Checklist.”

Contact the U.S. embassy for up-to-date information on travel restrictions.  You can also call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries.  These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to have travel information at your fingertips.

The U.S. Embassy/Consulate in Ottawa is located at 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 1G8, and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  You can reach us at 1-613-688-5335 during business hours.  If you are a U.S. citizen in need of urgent assistance outside of business hours, the emergency after-hours number for the U.S. Embassy/Consulate is 1-613-238-5335.