Survey of Registered Voters Living Overseas

Initial Invitation Letter

[DATE]

Dear [Sample Member]

We are currently trying to learn more about the voting experiences of Americans living outside the United States, so that we can help ensure that all Americans abroad know of their right to vote and are able to successfully cast their ballots. You were randomly selected because state records show that you were living at a foreign address during the November 2014 election, and that qualifies you to give us the type of feedback that is vital to our success. As the Director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), I personally invite you to participate in a short, 10-minute survey regarding your experience with the 2014 election, whether you voted or not.

We invite you to complete the 2015 Survey of Registered Voters Living Overseas online at:

https://www.OverseasCitizenSurvey.com

So that we do not re-contact you, enter your personal Ticket Number: XXXXXX.

[OPTIONAL INCENTIVE LANGUAGE: Enclosed here is a small token of our appreciation for your time and effort in completing the survey.]

The act of voting is one of the most fundamental rights associated with democracy, and many citizens consider it to be an important experience. You may be aware that Americans who live and work abroad have the right to vote in American elections, but difficulties exercising this right do occur—in fact, you might have directly experienced difficulty in trying to cast an absentee ballot from outside of the United States. The United States government specifically established FVAP to ensure that all overseas citizens are aware of their right to vote and have the tools to do so from anywhere in the world. We need your participation in this survey to help us make sure we are doing all we can to fulfill that mission. The information gathered in this survey will help us as we work to improve the absentee voting process for all overseas U.S. citizens.

The survey is entirely voluntary. It does not collect any information regarding your political party affiliation or other political choices, and your responses to the survey will be kept confidential and will never be associated with your name.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please call our Survey Help Desk at 1-800-xxx-xxxx or send an e-mail to [email protected]. If you have any questions or suggestions about the survey, please visit our website at www.FVAP.gov/info/contact.

Thank you for your help as we work to ensure that all Americans abroad know of their right to vote and have all the information and tools necessary to exercise that right.

Sincerely,

Matt Boehmer

Director, FVAP

[DATE]

Dear [Sample Member]

About a week ago you should have received a letter inviting you to participate in an important survey sponsored by the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP). FVAP is the federal office dedicated to ensuring that American citizens living outside the United States are aware of their right to vote and have the tools to do so. We asked for your feedback in order to learn more about the experiences of Americans living outside the United States so we can improve the services that we provide them. This survey is being conducted this year for the first time; our hope is that all overseas citizens, like you, have the opportunity to cast their vote no matter where they are located around the world. Your participation in this survey will provide us with critical information to make this possible.

If you have already completed the online survey, we thank you for sharing your experiences. If you have not yet had the opportunity to complete the survey, we encourage you to do so today.

To complete the short, 10-minute 2015 Survey of Registered Voters Living Overseas go to:

https://www.OverseasCitizenSurvey.com

So that we do not re-contact you, enter your personal Ticket Number: XXXXXX.

Although the survey is voluntary, we want to hear from everyone selected—voters and non-voters alike. Our goal is to receive replies from as many different citizens as possible and to use those replies to better understand the needs of citizens of the United States residing in other nations. The survey does not collect any information regarding your political party affiliation or other political choices. Your responses to the survey will be kept confidential and will never be associated with your name.

Our Survey Help Desk is available to assist you with completing the survey or to answer any questions you may have. You may contact us at 1-800-xxx-xxxx or send an e-mail to [email protected]. If you have any additional questions or suggestions about the survey, please visit our website at www.FVAP.gov/info/contact.

Thank you for your help as we work to ensure that all Americans abroad know of their right to vote and have the information and tools to exercise that right from anywhere in the world.

Sincerely,

Matt Boehmer

Director, FVAP

[DATE]

Dear [Sample Member]

Voters and nonvoters, the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) needs your participation in its 2015 Survey of Registered Voters Living Overseas. Your views and opinions are important to us, and you are in a unique position to provide relevant insights on your experience with the 2014 election, whether you voted or not. I urge you to take this opportunity to complete the survey. The information and opinions you provide are critical to identifying and addressing problems that American citizens living outside the U.S. face as they exercise their right to vote. It is extremely important that U.S. citizens have the opportunity for full participation in our democracy, and your answers to this short survey will help us provide that opportunity for all Americans, wherever they may live around the world.

We understand that international mail can take some time, so you may have already completed the survey by the time you receive this notice. If this is the case, thank you for your time and effort. If you have not completed the survey, we invite you to do so as soon as possible. As of this mailing, we are still accepting both online and paper copies of the survey, and these additional responses will be combined with those we have already received and will also help us provide better voting services and assistance. The survey will only take 10 minutes, and does not collect any information regarding your political party affiliation or other political choices. Your responses to the survey will be kept confidential and will never be associated with your name.

A paper copy of the survey is enclosed here—you can complete this and return it in the envelope provided. If you would prefer to complete the survey online, please visit the 2015 Survey of Overseas Citizens website at https://www.OverseasCitizenSurvey.com and enter your personal Ticket Number: XXXXXX

If you have any questions or need assistance, please call our Survey Help Desk at 1-800-xxx-xxxx or send an e-mail to [email protected]. If you have any suggestions about the survey, please visit our website at www.FVAP.gov/info/contact.

Thank you for your help as we work to ensure that all Americans abroad know of their right to vote and have the information and tools to successfully exercise that right.

Sincerely,

Matt Boehmer

Director, FVAP

[DATE]

Recently you should have received an invitation to complete a survey about your experience as an American citizen living overseas during the November 2014 election. If you have already completed the survey, we thank you for your feedback. The information you provided will help us improve and support the absentee voting process for all citizens living outside of the United States.

If you have not yet completed the survey, please take a few moments to do so now. Go to this website:

https://www.OverseasCitizenSurvey.com

To access the survey, enter your personal Ticket Number, which is located above your name on the other side of this postcard.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please call our Survey Help Desk at 1-800-xxx-xxxx or send an e-mail to [email protected].

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND PARTICIPATION!

[DATE]

You were recently selected to participate in a survey being conducted by the Federal Voting Assistance Program, because state records show that you were living at a foreign address during the November 2014 election. We sent several letters to the overseas address listed in the state records, but have not received a response. Even if you are no longer living outside the U.S., we are still very interested in hearing about your experience with the 2014 election, whether you voted or not.

You can complete the short, 10-minute survey by going to this website:

https://www.OverseasCitizenSurvey.com

To access the survey, enter your personal Ticket Number, which is located above your name on the other side of this postcard.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please call our Survey Help Desk at 1-800-xxx-xxxx or send an e-mail to [email protected].

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND PARTICIPATION!