# Voting absentee--which state should I choose? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 7, 2004, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-absentee-which-state-should-i-choose/238713 "2004-04-07T10:14:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wholesome\_Goodness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7cd45c/32.png) [@Wholesome\_Goodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wholesome_Goodness)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-absentee-which-state-should-i-choose/238713/1 "2004-04-07T10:14:24Z")
My situation: I’m American, but have been living in Europe for the past 3.5 years. I don’t intend to return to the US anytime soon. I’m originally from New York, grew up there, then went to college in Ohio (which is the only place I’ve ever registered to vote). After college, I went back to NY for a few months, then took off for Europe. My mother has since moved to Louisiana; my father is still in New York. I’ve never lived in Louisiana, but I do have a bank account there, and all official documents (relating to my students loans, for example) are sent to my mother’s address. To complicate matters, I also have a relative in Florida who would let me use her address to register. Are there any legal reasons to choose one of these states over the others? Would it be illegal to register in Florida? If not, which would be best in terms of my vote making a difference? I was thinking Florida, obviously, or perhaps Ohio. Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-absentee-which-state-should-i-choose/238713/2 "2004-04-07T10:41:39Z")
My understanding (which may or may not be correct) is that if you are out of the country for several years, and then return to the state which was your previous legal residence, that state will hit you for state income taxes for all the time you were gone. I once worked at an organization in Maryland which rotated some employees out of the country on three-year tours, and people who did this would come back and live in Virginia to avoid Maryland state taxes. People who lived in Virginia would come back to Maryland… ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-absentee-which-state-should-i-choose/238713/3 "2004-04-07T10:44:34Z")
Sorry, that looks by a hijack. I meant to say that taxes are another consideration when you are deciding what state to claim as your residence… ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voting-absentee-which-state-should-i-choose/238713/4 "2004-04-07T11:03:32Z")
According to the Feds your legal residence for voting purposes is your last U.S. address, so it would be New York. It will not subject you to any taxes provided you only vote in the federal elections; if you try to vote in a state election, though, your state might come after you. Info under “Overseas Citizens” [here](http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/faq.html).