U.S. Government Websites

Census Bureau - http://www.census.gov
Demographics, results from the last census, and more on the 250 million or so Americans living in the US.

Customs - http://www.cbp.gov/
Information about US Customs regulations and procedures that apply to travelers entering or exiting the United States. You can also find the latest alerts for travelers at this site.

Federal Citizen Information Center - https://www.usa.gov
A treasure trove of information pamphlets and publications available for free download, or to order online! They also have a page of links to just about any government agency or office (consumer-related) you might need.

House of Representatives - http://www.house.gov
As per the Constitution, the US House of Representatives makes and passes federal laws. The House is one of Congress’s two chambers (the other is the US Senate), and part of the federal government’s legislative branch. The number of voting representatives in the House is fixed by law at no more than 435, proportionally representing the population of the 50 states.

Internal Revenue Service - http://www.irs.gov
Taxpayer information, including downloadable forms, booklets and instructions. The home page is updated daily with news and general information. Is this the "kinder, gentler" IRS we've all been hearing about? Save yourself a trip to the local consulate by downloading your tax forms from this site!

Legislative Information - Library of Congress - https://www.loc.gov
Want to know what legislation has been proposed, debated or passed by Congress? Who is sponsoring what bills? What are the Committees up to, and who is on which committee? This Library of Congress site can track down legislative information for the current or past sessions of the House and Senate.

Senate - http://www.senate.gov
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress.

Social Security Administration - http://www.ssa.gov
Information about programs, benefits, and an online form for requesting your SSA earnings statement, changes in name or address, or replacing a lost social security card.

State Department - http://www.state.gov
The State Department website offers a wide range of information of particular interest to Americans living overseas. You can find travel advisories and warnings, information on citizenship issues, finding jobs and studying abroad. This is the place to find the annual Human Rights Reports issued on over 100 different countries around the world. And there is a links page giving you access to all the US Embassies and Consulates with websites: travel.state.gov/links.html http://travel.state.gov/links.html

Lobbying

GovTrack.us - http://www.govtrack.us/
GovTrack.us is an independent tool to help the public research and track the activities in the US Congress, promoting government transparency and civic education.

Track US Legislation and Congress - http://www.wikihow.com/Track-US-Legislation-and-Congress
This is an excellent site for getting an overall picture of how to track legislation, who to contact and how to follow up.

Whitehouse - http://www.whitehouse.gov
Here's where you can make your views and ideas known to the President.

Voting and Election Information

Democrats Abroad - http://www.democratsabroad.org
Republicans Abroad - https://republicansoverseas.com/

Annenberg Political Fact Check - http://www.factcheck.org
The Annenberg Political Fact Check is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. It is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in US politics. It monitors "the factual accuracy of what is said by major US political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and newsreleases.

Ballotpedia - https://ballotpedia.org
Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Our goal is to inform people about politics by providing accurate and objective information about politics at all levels of government. We are firmly committed to neutrality in our content.

Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) - http://www.fvap.gov/
This Web site provides information to US citizens covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). The FVAP site will give you the information you need to register from overseas! While the FVAP is an agency of the US Defense Department, information is available for both military personnel and civilians living overseas. You can download the Federal Post Card Application form (FPCA) from this site. If you vote as a regular state voter, this site can still help you, as it includes links to the state election sites.

League of Women Voters - http://www.lwv.org
The League of Women Voters has long been an excellent source of non-partisan voting information. The LWV site contains information about voting, the issues and candidates, and links to other sites you might be looking for, including those state and local League organizations that have their own Web pages.

Overseas Vote Foundation - http://www.overseasvotefoundation.org
OVF's mission is to facilitate and increase participation of American overseas voters and military voters and their dependents in federal elections by providing public access to innovative voter registration tools and services.

The Pew Research Center - http://pewresearch.org
The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does not take positions on policy issues.

Smart Voter - http://www.smartvoter.org
Smart Voter provides personalized, non-partisan voter information for local, state, and federal elections in California and Ohio. The service is an educational project of the non-profit League of Women Voters in those two states. Archives showing results of past elections are also available. Additional links to assist overseas voters are included.

Other Resources for Americans Overseas

AARP - http://www.aarp.org
AARP is the leading U.S. organization for persons age 50 and over. For information on health, finance, voter registration and absentee ballots, as well as long-distance caregiving and travel discounts, log on to www.aarp.org/worldwide or call 202 737-9860.

American Chamber of Commerce - http://www.amchamfrance.org
The American Chamber of Commerce in France (AmChamFrance) was founded in 1894, making it the oldest US business organization abroad. The Chamber is an independent non-profit association registered both in France and in the United States.

American Citizens Abroad (ACA) - https://www.americansabroad.org
Based in Geneva, Switzerland, ACA has long been active in the cause of securing fair and equitable treatment for US citizens living abroad. Their Web site has downloadable information on voting, citizenship and census issues, plus links to various resources.

American Overseas Memorial Day Association (AOMDA) - http://www.aomda.org
AOMDA was founded in 1920 for the decoration, on Memorial Day, of the graves, tombs and monuments of American Servicemen and women of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Auxiliary Services buried overseas.

Expatriates.com - http://www.expatriates.com
Community ads, resource directory, and forum for expatriates.

Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas (FAWCO) - http://www.fawco.org
Check to see if there is an American women's club near you. There are now 79 member clubs (and growing!), located in over 35 countries around the world. FAWCO clubs support a wide range of projects, including basic literacy, voting and citizenship rights, students who learn differently. In addition, the FAWCO Foundation makes grants and scholarship awards available to its member clubs and their members and family members.

InterNations - http://www.internations.org
InterNations is an international community for American and other expatriates who live and work abroad, allowing members to interact with and meet each other in their local communities. InterNations members include diplomats, IGO and NGO staff, journalists and other expats in hundreds of cities around the world.

Meetup.com - http://american.meetup.com
The purpose of this AARO meetup group is to provide a venue for the American community in Paris to come together for regular, informal events. Both AARO members and non-members are invited to join us to meet fellow Americans in Paris in a relaxed, friendly environment.

Wreaths Across America - https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org
Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, our mission to Remember, Honor and Teach is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at more than 1,400 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad.