<i>They send me the voting letters to my Japanese home address. Free of charge.</i><p>I get letters like that, too, also addressed to Japan but bearing a conspicuous bald eagle.  An American citizen is a resident of the last state one had legal residence in for voting purposes even if one has no particular intent to return to it.  One&#x27;s friendly local State Department employee will happily confirm this:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;travel.state.gov&#x2F;content&#x2F;passports&#x2F;en&#x2F;abroad&#x2F;legal-matters&#x2F;benefits&#x2F;voting.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;travel.state.gov&#x2F;content&#x2F;passports&#x2F;en&#x2F;abroad&#x2F;legal-ma...</a><p><i>For voting purposes, your state of legal residence is generally the state wherein you resided immediately before leaving the United States, even if you no longer own or rent property or intend to return there in the future. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia specifically allow U.S. citizens who have never resided in the United States to register where a parent would be eligible to vote.</i>