Message For U.s. Citizens: Louisiana Special Primary Election For Congressional District 5

[jamesmusslewhite]

MESSAGE FOR U.S. CITIZENS

U.S. Embassy, Manila, The Philippines

September 10, 2013

Louisiana to Hold Special Primary Election for Congressional District 5

THE EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES IS TRANSMITTING THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION THROUGH THE EMBASSY WARDEN SYSTEM AS A PUBLIC SERVICE TO AMERICAN CITIZENS IN THE PHILIPPINES. PLEASE DISSEMINATE THIS MESSAGE TO ALL U.S. CITIZENS IN YOUR ORGANIZATION OR NEIGHBORHOOD. 

The State of Louisiana will hold a special primary election in the 5^th Congressional District on Saturday, October 19 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Representative Rodney Alexander. 

 

The 5^th Congressional District consists of the following parishes: Avoyelles, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Rapides, Richland, Tensas, Washington, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn and parts of East Feliciana, St. Helena, St. Landry and Tangipahoa.

 

October 19 special primary election deadlines are as follows:

• Deadline to register to vote - Wednesday, September 18, 2013
• Ballot request deadline - Friday, October 18, 2013 at 4:30 PM CST
• Ballots must be received - Saturday, October 19, 2013 at 8:00 PM CST

If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary election, a general election will be held on Saturday, November 16 between the top two candidates. Ranking ballots (ballots which allow you to rank your candidate preference) for the general election are sent out automatically along with the primary election ballots when there are more than two candidates in the primary election race.

 

You can register to vote and/or request an absentee ballot by using the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) automated tool at: http://www.fvap.gov/registration/reg-ballot-request-la.html. You may register to vote or change your registration online at: http://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/Pages/OnlineVoterRegistration.aspx

 

If you are registered and have requested your ballot, but are concerned you may not receive your ballot in time to vote, use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB). The FWAB cannot be used to register to vote. Louisiana allows voters to use the FWAB for Federal offices only.

 

The FWAB online assistant is available at: http://www.fvap.gov/registration/reg-ballot-request-la.html. The FWAB is also available at military installations around the world.

You can track the status of your ballot by logging in to the Louisiana Voter Portal: https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/

 

For more information on FVAP or assistance with the absentee voting process, visit FVAP.gov, call FVAP at 1-800-438-VOTE or DSN 425-1584 (CONUS)/312-425-1584 (OCONUS), or email vote@fvap.gov. Remember, you also can contact your unit or installation voting assistance officers for assistance during any step of the process.

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 The Embassy is located at 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Manila, Philippines and is open 0730-1600, Monday through Friday.  The Embassy's main telephone number is (632) 301-2000.  American citizens needing to speak to the Embassy can dial this number and ask to be connected to the American Citizen Services (ACS) unit or with the Embassy Duty Officer (for calls outside of normal business hours).  You can also contact the ACS unit through email at ACSInfoManila@state.gov or through the Embassy Facebook page.  Please visit our website for information on all services offered by the ACS unit.

 

We strongly recommend that U.S. citizens travelling to or residing in the Philippines enroll in the Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) program.  Registering gives you access to updated information on travel and security within the Philippines and makes it easier for the Embassy to contact you in case of emergency.  If you don't have Internet access, enroll directly at the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate.

You can also stay up to date by bookmarking the Department of State's website, which contains all current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts, as well as the current Worldwide Caution.  Please consult the Country Specific Information on the Philippines, for general information about the Philippines. For additional information, refer to "A Safe Trip Abroad" on the State Department's website. 

 

Contact the U.S. Embassy for up-to-date information on travel restrictions.  Current information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada, or a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444 for callers 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).  You can also stay up to date by "following" us on Twitter and "liking" the Bureau of Consular Affairs on Facebook.  You can also download our free Smart Traveler App, available through iTunes and the Android market, to have travel information at your fingertips.