From the students leading National Walkout Day, to a major special election victory in Pennsylvania’s 18th, the past few days have been truly inspiring. Americans continue to stand up, speak out, and show up where it matters — especially at the ballot box. We all know how important this year’s midterms are, which is why the biggest way you can make an impact is by helping Americans abroad register to vote.
This week’s Tiny Action: Become a voter registration volunteer.
Before getting started, you should have already requested your own ballot for 2018!
- Sign up to be a voter registration volunteer via your Dems Abroad account.
- Visit our voting news blog and read the New Volunteer Training guide to learn about the voter registration process.
- Contact your local Dems Abroad committee to volunteer for upcoming voter registration events. Their details can be found under “Countries” in the main menu above.
While Democrats Abroad is proudly blue, voter registration is 100% non-partisan, as a public service to Americans living around the world. Voter registration volunteers must help all Americans register to vote and request their ballot, regardless of party affiliation. Likewise, VoteFromAbroad.org may be paid for and maintained by Democrats Abroad, but it is a valuable tool because of - not in spite of - the fact that it is nonpartisan.
WHY IT MATTERS
Through targeted efforts, our volunteers reached Pennsylvanians abroad ahead of this week’s elections; we played a critical role in Virginia and Alabama elections last year; and in 2016, we were the margin of victory for candidates like Governor Roy Cooper (NC) and Senator Maggie Hassan (NH). We’ve done it before, and we’ll do it again — but we can’t do it without every volunteer we can find.
Robo-calls DON’T work abroad. We need real people. We need civic-minded volunteers like you (who may be new voters or those volunteering with DA for the very first time!) to provide Americans with the information they need to get their ballots and vote.
Voting is the most important thing we can do as U.S. citizens living abroad — and helping others to vote is the second most important, especially in a year where the millions of Americans overseas will be the margin of victory in close, critical midterm races. The entire House of Representatives is up for grabs, along with one-third of the Senate, 36 Governorships and 35 State Attorney Generals in addition to critical ballot initiatives in some states.
A lot is riding on your votes this year. Turnout is the key to winning elections, but disenfranchisement is a genuine concern. That’s why U.S. voters need to register and request their ballot as early as possible, regardless of when their state primaries will take place.
Don’t let Americans abroad get left behind — every vote matters, now more than ever!
MORE INFO
Questions about the primary elections?
Our FAQ specifically for primaries can be found here.
Questions about the midterms?
We have an FAQ for that, too.
Still have questions?
Contact [email protected] or visit VoteFromAbroad.org to explores schedules, deadlines and ballot requirements.
FURTHER READING
The Voter Purge Case at the Supreme Court Reveals the Justice Department’s Attack on Voting Rights
Commentary: America’s unfair democracy will hurt Democrats in 2018