Voting from abroad
04 November 2008 à 16h42
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Four to five million American civilians and hundreds of thousands of military personnel live abroad and are eligible to vote. Despite the difficulties to ask and receive an absentee ballot, more expatriate Americans should vote this year than in 2004.
What is the exact number of Americans voting from overseas? It is actually difficult to say since they can complete the process with their state and without having to deal with their local US consulate or embassy.
Still, requesting an absentee ballot to make your voice heard is not an easy task. Because, if one federal program covers all states and territories, things become very complicated as this program is actually implemented by every state. And each one of them can modify these regulations on how to register to vote.
In all, 4 to 5 million Americans living overseas are eligible to vote, according to the federal Election Assistance Commission. But how many will actually vote? A small proportion of this figure, if we look at the 2006 midterm elections, when only about 330,000 votes came from abroad – despite one million people actually requesting ballots.
But this year, more are expected to cast their ballot. Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, president of the Overseas Vote Foundation -- a nonprofit group that helps expatriates register and vote – told the AP a few days ago, that she expected about 2 million people to vote this time, including about 500,000 military personnel.
Apart from some recent regulations the government implemented to facilitate the vote for expatriates, many organizations also help them. The main ones are Republicans Abroad and Voting from Abroad (operated by the Democrats). Both of them guide the expats through the process of requesting an absentee ballot from their state.
The Democrat party watches their fellow Americans living abroad closely as foreigners overwhelmingly favor Obama over McCain – largely a reflection of Bush’s deep unpopularity overseas.
And those organizations do have an interest in doing so as the overseas vote brings precious ballots when an election is tight.
What is the exact number of Americans voting from overseas? It is actually difficult to say since they can complete the process with their state and without having to deal with their local US consulate or embassy.
Still, requesting an absentee ballot to make your voice heard is not an easy task. Because, if one federal program covers all states and territories, things become very complicated as this program is actually implemented by every state. And each one of them can modify these regulations on how to register to vote.
In all, 4 to 5 million Americans living overseas are eligible to vote, according to the federal Election Assistance Commission. But how many will actually vote? A small proportion of this figure, if we look at the 2006 midterm elections, when only about 330,000 votes came from abroad – despite one million people actually requesting ballots.
But this year, more are expected to cast their ballot. Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, president of the Overseas Vote Foundation -- a nonprofit group that helps expatriates register and vote – told the AP a few days ago, that she expected about 2 million people to vote this time, including about 500,000 military personnel.
Apart from some recent regulations the government implemented to facilitate the vote for expatriates, many organizations also help them. The main ones are Republicans Abroad and Voting from Abroad (operated by the Democrats). Both of them guide the expats through the process of requesting an absentee ballot from their state.
The Democrat party watches their fellow Americans living abroad closely as foreigners overwhelmingly favor Obama over McCain – largely a reflection of Bush’s deep unpopularity overseas.
And those organizations do have an interest in doing so as the overseas vote brings precious ballots when an election is tight.
