U.S. EMBASSY informational MESSAGES

LOUISIANA TO HOLD TWO SPECIAL ELECTIONS ON MARCH 8, 2008 FOR REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS FROM THE 1ST AND 6TH DISTRICTS

On Saturday, March 8, 2008 there will be two special primary elections in the state of Louisiana.

1st closed party primary: March 8, 2008
2nd closed party primary: April 5, 2008
General: May 3, 2008.

The first closed primary on March 8, 2008 will be in the 1st Congressional District of Louisiana to fill the seat for Representative Jindal who resigned in order to become Governor of Louisiana. The 1st Congressional District includes the parishes of Jefferson (part), Orleans (part), St. Charles (part), St. Tammany (all), Tanigpahoa (all), and Washington (all).

The second closed primary on March 8, 2008 will be in the 6th Congressional District of Louisiana to fill the seat for Representative Baker, which is currently vacant. The 6th Congressional District includes the parishes of Ascension (part), East Baton Rouge (all), East Feliciana (all), Iberville (part), Livingston (all), Pointe Coupee (part), St. Helena (all), West Baton Rouge (all), and West Feliciana (all).

To determine if your legal residence is in the 1st or 6th Congressional District, please go to the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website, where you can click on “Communicating with Your Elected Officials” then “Who is my Representative?”

VAOs should contact those citizens they assist who are Louisiana voters and inform them of this news release and provide help to them in returning their absentee ballot. If Louisiana voters would like more specific information regarding these two primary elections, please send them to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website.

REGISTERING TO VOTE AND REQUESTING A BALLOT:

All members of the U.S. Uniformed Services, their family members and citizens residing outside the U.S. who are Louisiana residents from the 1st and 6th Districts should request a ballot for this special primary election by completing and submitting a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), SF-76, as soon as possible, if you have not done so already in calendar year 2008. The online version of the FPCA is available from the FVAP website at www.fvap.gov/pubs/fpca.html. Specific instructions for Louisiana are available at: http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/vag/pdfvag/la.pdf.

Voters who are Louisiana residents from the 1st or 6th District and have already requested a ballot for the Presidential and State Primary on February 9, 2008 will automatically receive this ballot, and need not take any further action.

The Parish Registrar of Voters must receive request for absentee ballot not later than Friday, March 7, 2008.

Louisiana allows Uniformed Services and overseas citizen voters to send the FPCA for ballot request by fax. After faxing, submit the original FPCA by mail. Use the following toll-free fax numbers for the U.S. and Canada: 1-800-368-8683, (703) 693-5527 or DSN 223-5527 (military). At http://www.fvap.gov/services/tollfree.html#fax, there is a list of additional toll-free fax numbers from overseas countries.

RECEIVING YOUR BALLOT:
Louisiana allows you to receive the blank ballot by fax.

RETURNING YOUR BALLOT:
When returned, your ballot will be counted if it arrives at the appropriate Parish Registrar of Voters not later than the close of polls on March 8, 2008.

Louisiana allows return of the voted ballot by fax. The message must contain a scanned copy of your signature on a waiver of ballot secrecy. A transmittal sheet meeting this requirement is available at www.fvap.gov/pubs/vag/appendix_b.pdf.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
State specific information on your precinct, candidates, elections, and voting is available at the Louisiana Secretary of State website, www.geauxvote.com.

The FVAP can be contacted via 1-800-438-8683. Citizens may reach the FVAP toll-free from 67 countries using the toll-free numbers listed on the FVAP website, www.fvap.gov/services/tollfree.html. Questions regarding the above may also be referred to the Director, Federal Voting Assistance Program, Department of Defense, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC, 20301-1155, vote@fvap.ncr.gov and on the World Wide Web at www.fvap.gov.