It’s an activity that might seem a bit odd here, but Fontainebleau is a very international town. Many American citizens have done us the honour of choosing our city as their home, and a very important event is taking place in their country: the mid-term elections, the «midterms», on Tuesday 3 November 2026.
They take place halfway through the presidential term. Americans do not elect a president on that day, but they do re-elect the entire House of Representatives and around a third of the Senate, not to mention numerous governors and local elected representatives. It is often here that the balance of power in Washington is decided for the next two years.
For a French citizen living abroad, it’s quite simple: you register on the consular electoral roll, then you either cast your vote in person at a polling station set up by the embassy or consulate, or you appoint a proxy. Online voting is also available, but only for parliamentary and consular elections; it is never available for the presidential election.
For an American, it’s a different story. There’s no ballot box at the embassy: everything goes through the postal vote (absentee ballot), and the rules vary from state to state, depending on the last state in which the voter resided. You must first register and request your ballot using a federal form, the FPCA (Federal Post Card Application), then return it on time. Some states accept returns by email or fax, whilst others only accept postal submissions; some count a ballot posted on polling day, whilst others require it to have been received on that day. And if the official ballot paper does not arrive, there is a backup ballot paper, the FWAB (Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot). That’s enough to put quite a few people off.
That is why the volunteers at Voting from Abroad are settling in at the Fontainebleau market on Sundays, from 10.00 am to 12.00 pm. From trained volunteers They guide voters through the process step by step: registration, requesting a ballot paper, and returning it within the deadlines specific to their state. They can also be contacted at 06 44 63 86 83 or to [email protected], or plan your visit on the website VoteFromAbroad.org, a service to help Americans living abroad vote by post, a service provided by Democrats Abroad.
In support of this initiative and this important event for all Americans, Fontyblog reports on this support. This event is therefore aimed at our American friends living in Fontainebleau and the surrounding area.
Do you have an American friend, neighbour or colleague who is interested in this election? Please feel free to share this page with them, by WhatsApp or by email. Every vote counts, and so does every ballot paper that arrives on time.
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