What to Do Wednesday
Your Weekly Guide to Staying Politically Active—From Abroad
Wednesday, 10 December, 2025
This week: Light in the Darkness, Signs of Hope.
Hello friends,
As Italy celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, homes and town squares across the country lit up with the first Christmas lights of the season. It is a national holiday here, marking both a religious observance and the unofficial start of Italy’s luminous, festive weeks. No matter where you go, from small hill towns to bustling city streets lights appear in windows, on balconies, and across piazzas, pushing back against the early winter evenings. It is a reminder that human beings have long met darkness with illumination, and that the simple act of switching on a light can change how we experience the world.
This week, we carry that metaphor into American politics.
At a moment when the national landscape often feels uncertain, two breaking-news victories offer real signs of hope: a Democrat has just won the mayoralty of Miami, and a Democrat has flipped a Georgia State House seat in a deeply Republican district. These are not small tremors. These are flashes of light, evidence that voters, when reached and energized, are ready to choose problem-solvers, coalition-builders, and people grounded in democratic values.
During this season when the days are short and the cold settles in, it is easy to lose sight of progress or believe that the challenges outweigh the opportunities. But these wins remind us that light emerges exactly when the days seem darkest. And as Americans abroad, we have a unique responsibility and a unique power: our ballots can, quite literally, tip elections.
This Week’s Action: Mark Your Calendar for January 1 2026
The single most important step you can personally take in this moment is to plan ahead for your absentee ballot request for 2026.
On January 1, the window opens for all overseas voters to file their Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). Submitting your FPCA early ensures that your ballot arrives on time, moves smoothly through your local election office, and positions Democrats Abroad Italy to focus our volunteer energy where it is needed most: reaching the Americans who do not yet know they can vote, including non-members, newly arrived U.S. citizens, dual citizens, and the thousands of students who will study abroad in 2026.
If you are reading this email, you already understand the power of your vote. Now we ask you to take one small but strategic step forward.
Please mark your calendar for January 1. Then fill out the short form below indicating that you’ve done so.
Your early action creates the conditions for broader outreach. It frees our volunteers to spend their time finding the voters who are not yet connected to us and helping them exercise their rights. You can help bring more light into our political landscape simply by preparing to vote.
If you need more information about your overseas ballot, local deadlines, or your state’s voting rules, please reach out. We are here to support you.
Join one of our upcoming DA Events
Bookmark and follow all our events! Events - Democrats Abroad
Friday 13 December @ 9:00 DA Italy Monthly Country Committee Meeting
Friday 13 December @10:30 Christmas Shopping Trip to the Serravalle Designer Outlet
Friday 13 December @16:30 Triveneto Holiday Meetup, 13 Dec, Treviso
Monday 15 December @18:00 Holiday Cookie & Candy Exchange and Aperitivo
A Final Word
In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
— Albert Camus
With gratitude,
Leyani Redditi
Chair
Democrats Abroad Italy