# Could I vote in November?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-vote-in-november/453916>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 23, 2008, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-vote-in-november/453916 "2008-06-23T14:46:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-vote-in-november/453916/1 "2008-06-23T14:46:31Z")

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After 44 years Uncle Sam has finally confirmed that I am a US citizen - YAY !!! 🙂

I understand that US citizens living abroad can vote if they register in the last district they lived in. I however have never been a resident in the US. The longest periods I have spent in the US are 6 weeks on my (real) Uncle Sam’s farm in upstate New York when I was 15, and a month in an hotel in Chicago ten years ago. I doubt either would prove sufficient ☹ .

So, am I SOL?

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**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-vote-in-november/453916/2 "2008-06-23T14:58:30Z")

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I know of a few people in this situation… and no they can’t vote… but they pay US taxes. They were not born in the US and have never lived there (one has never even BEEN there).

[http://www.fawco.org/index.php?option=com\_content&task=view&id=680&Itemid=339](http://www.fawco.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=680&Itemid=339)

See item #4 This site was the only one I could find that really mentions this.

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**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-vote-in-november/453916/3 "2008-06-23T15:26:14Z")

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[www.votefromabroad.org](http://www.votefromabroad.org) It’s run by the guy who runs [www.electoral-vote.com](http://www.electoral-vote.com), who I believe is resident in the Netherlands.

> [@](#):
>
> If you never lived in the US, you may be able to vote using the address where your American parent(s) last lived.

I can’t say whether that is accurate or not, but it might be worth trying.

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**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-vote-in-november/453916/4 "2008-06-23T15:29:19Z")

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I might try that. It was 50 years ago though :eek:

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**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-vote-in-november/453916/5 "2008-06-23T15:35:03Z")

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Some states allow you to use your parent’s address for registration. Virginia does not, others vary, but it is a difficult situation… lots of expat families overseas are in this boat… many don’t care and don’t vote (esp if they never plan to return to the US), but for others it is a significant issue.

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**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-vote-in-november/453916/6 "2008-06-23T15:38:39Z")

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According to the [Overseas Vote Foundation](https://vhd.overseasvotefoundation.org/ovf/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=11&nav=0,5), sixteen states (Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin) will allow you to vote in the state your parents were last eligible to vote in. It’s not clear from there whether your parents must still be alive for you to be registered; certainly a strict reading of the word “eligible” would argue against that.