Updated: 02/02/2025
let me start by saying that i WILL be writing about personal political opinions later on in this blog so if you’re not comfortable with that or cannot respect that, kindly stop reading.
first, let’s talk about HOW to vote abroad because you have no choice. if you are eligible to vote, you WILL vote.
although i was worried, voting abroad was easier than it may seem. there is not one website link used to find the resources to vote abroad because each state has a different process. i will say that using this link is a good start and pretty much THE way to start. hopefully, it remains the correct link by the time you read this but if not you can always easily look up keywords like voting abroad, how to vote overseas, absentee ballot, etc., and let SEO do the rest. regardless, you will find a way because you HAVE to. unless you just don’t care about anything….. cuz that’s what that says if you don’t vote even though you’re fully capable……………….
ANYWAYYYYYY yeah please vote for your own good and the good of others is the message i am trying to put out. please vote especially if you CAN because there are a lot of others who cannot. the process was very simple:
you register, enter your info, request an absentee ballot, make an address change (if needed), receive your ballot in the mail, and send it back one month before election day (sending it early guarantees it will make it on time and it won’t be as expensive as a rush order if you send it later), receive a confirmation email that your vote has been counted and BOOM, “i voted” sticker on your laptop case.
any questions you have can easily be answered through a quick Google search. please be aware that the process may look different depending on what state you’re in.
example:
i am a resident of California so i had to request an absentee ballot from California. my roommate is a resident of Hawaiʻi so she requested a ballot from Hawaiʻi. a requirement that was different for us was the date the ballot had to be sent in to count. my ballot had to be received within 7 days of election day and hers had to be received by election day to be counted.
unfortunately, i submitted my ballot late and had to pay more than $20 to guarantee it would make it on time.
side note: this could just be me but honestly i think paying was unnecessary and i could’ve just sent my ballot at the time without paying. this is because i have shipped out 3 heavy boxes from Korea to my house in California and they all arrived within 2 weeks of being shipped even though i was told it would take 1-2 months soooo…… i was even considering not paying at the time but i knew how important this election was and i didn’t want to take any chances even if California was blue…. NO CHANCES. but honestly just try to send it in as early as possible. also this was my first election and i rlly wanted to make sure my vote counted.
receiving and sending the ballot is easy, but voting is not……. California had way more propositions and county officials to vote for than Hawaiʻi. i sat at my desk for about 4-6 hours researching all the candidates. it was tiring but please educate yourself on what you’re voting for before you vote!!
P.S. this entire experience helped me and Sukwen learn that SK Global residents have 3 different mailboxes... the reason i sent my ballot in after the 1-month mark was because i didn't check my 3rd mailbox...... it was just sitting there and i didn't know. we found out because we walked back to our rooms with a friend who knew about the mailboxes and were like huhhh???? when she went to grab her mail....
pls watch my voting mini vlog to see more of what the process was like.
