As many young community members head to Israel for the year, the Bergen County Jewish Action Committee urges everyone to register to vote via email. Ahead of the upcoming presidential election, votes are more crucial than ever. Going to Israel does not mean that our young adults have to abstain from voting or vote by mail and hope their votes get received. This ensures that their votes are counted and their opinions are represented in what could be one of the most important elections of our time.

We encourage all parents and students to take the necessary steps now to ensure that they are fully prepared to participate in this democratic process, no matter where they are in the world.

To vote by email, follow these steps:

Step 1—Make Sure They Are Registered to Vote

• Go to https://www.bcjac.org/vote and click on “Am I Registered”
• If they are not registered, you can do it through the “Register to Vote” button

Step 2—Register to Vote Overseas Via Email

• Go to the following site: https://www.fvap.gov/r3/fpca/state
• Select NJ, then your county of residence
• Follow the instructions and fill out the information to register to vote overseas
• Make sure you select to receive and return your ballot via EMAIL
• When you are finished, DOWNLOAD AND PRINT the form. Both the form and the cover sheet must be SIGNED and DATED by the voter
• Scan the form and email to [email protected] (you can mail as well) (if you live in a different county, follow that county’s instructions for returning the form)
• Instructions for ways to submit will be included on the downloaded form as well (but if you would like to mail it, you can also download the envelope template)

Voting is not just a right; it is a responsibility, and we must all do our part to shape the future of our country and the role of the Jewish community within it.

Eliana Birman is the assistant digital editor for The Jewish Link. She is a student at Barnard College and lives in Teaneck.