Why use VoteFromAbroad.org to request your ballot?
Federal law provides special voting protections for U.S. citizens living overseas—but only if you submit the official federal ballot request. When you do, you receive:
- Your ballot by email (Check the “receive by email” box)
- Guaranteed ballot transmission at least 45 days before each federal election — critical if you must return your ballot by mail (22 states are mail-return only)
- Automatic ballot delivery for every election you’re eligible to vote in that year
- Protection against voter roll removal — your registration stays active that year
- Free ballot tracking, so you can confirm your ballot was received
- Access to an emergency write-in ballot if your ballot is delayed or doesn’t arrive
These protections are not automatic. They apply only when you submit the FEDERAL ballot request (as opposed to an absentee ballot from your local election official).
Go to VoteFromAbroad.org today!
Events happening in DA Austria in April —
Young Democrats: Young Americans Trivia Night
Sunday, April 12, 2026
7:30–10:00 p.m.
Charlie P’s Pub, Währinger Straße 3, 1090 Vienna
RSVP
Solidarity Sundays: The One Where We Learn How Elections Work
Sunday, April 19, 2026
4:00–6:00 p.m.
Amerlinghaus
Stiftgasse 8, 1070 Wien
RSVP
Salzburg Monthly Meet-up
Friday, April 24, 2026
5:30–7:30 p.m.
Krimpelstätter Restaurant,
Müllner Hauptstraße 31, Salzburg 5020
RSVP
Dems Giving Back — Vienna Clean Up for Earth Day
Sunday, April 26, 2026
11:00 a.m.
1010 Vienna
RSVP
Voter Registration & Ballot Request Tables are Back!
Saturdays throughout April
Noon to 4p.m.
Mariahilferstrasse & local markets (rotating)
In this Newsletter —
Message from the Chair
Event Highlights:
- Young Democrats: Young Americans Trivia Night
- Dems Giving Back — Vienna Clean Up for Earth Day
Voting News:
- Checks and Balances. Belts and Suspenders.
- Upcoming Primaries and Special Elections
- The Nitty Gritty Election News Update
Inside DA Austria:
- Meet-ups in the Provinces — Dornbirn
- Veterans and Military Families Caucus
Issues and Actions:
- NO TYRANTS Demonstration
Review:
- Still Ain’t No Joke — American Comedy Night
- 2026 Annual General Meeting
Our next Executive Committee meeting will be on Wednesday, April 8, at 7:00 p.m. Members are welcome to join us at the meetings. Please contact Brett Carnito at [email protected] for the location.
DA Austria is committed to keeping you up to date while respecting your inbox. Our monthly newsletter brings together all the important information you need in one place, so you can stay informed without the extra emails. We appreciate you reading and staying connected!
Message from the Chair:
On Saturday, March 28, over three hundred people came together in Vienna to protest the Trump administration’s lawless overreach and corruption - three hundred who met in solidarity with over 8 million people at 3,300 protests worldwide. When we connect with each other at events like these we reject the efforts of would-be authoritarians to make us feel small, separated and weak. We find our strength together, and build the networks to exercise it. Now is the time to use that strength. Register yourself to vote, reach out to other Americans to help them vote, and volunteer. We look forward to working with you.
— Brett Carnito, DA Austria Chair and DPCA Representative
Event Highlights:
Young Democrats: Young Americans Trivia Night
Sunday, April 12, 2026
Join your fellow young Americans living in Vienna for a monthly trivia night! Whether you are new to the city, studying here, or a long-time resident, everyone is welcome to join us for a night of trivia, good company, and conversation. Come and be a part of our vibrant community and make new friends in Vienna. RSVP
We'll be meeting at 7:30 p.m., and trivia goes from 8-10 p.m. No problem if you can only join later or need to leave early — see you there!
— Bryan Quandt and Elena Fischer, Young(er) Americans Co-Coordinators
Dems Giving Back — Vienna Clean Up for Earth Day
Sunday, April 26, 2026
On Sunday, April 26, Democrats Abroad Vienna is hitting the streets for our Clean Sweep community cleanup! We'll spend an hour or two — whatever you can give — starting at 11:00 a.m. making our city a little cleaner and a lot brighter, all while building community with fellow Americans in Vienna. Gloves, trash bags, and vests provided; just bring your water bottle and your energy. Please RSVP and join us — every pair of hands counts! Questions? Contact [email protected].
— Hilary Monihan, Member-at-Large, Events Coordinator
Voting News:
The belt and the suspenders
While volunteering at the voter registration table during the No Tyrants demonstration in Vienna last Saturday, a number of people came up to me to express their concern about the SAVE Act and whether they would be able to vote as they had in the past.
I told them they should keep their belt and add suspenders. Yes, their local election officer has always sent them their ballot in the past, but this might change in the future. To not get caught with their metaphorical pants down, they should immediately request their ballot using the Federal Postcard Application under the federally mandated law – the Uniformed Officers and Overseas Americans voting act (UOCAVA) – and be assured that they’ll not only be able to vote but will receive a ballot by email 45 days ahead of the election. And, as reported to Congress, the federal agency FVAP noted that the success rate of ballots cast using the overseas voter form is significantly higher than those who submitted a regular stateside absentee ballot.
Sounds complicated?
It’s simple at votefromabroad.org. The non-partisan website walks you through your state's rules so you fill out your FPCA form correctly and there are trained volunteers to answer your questions and help you out if needed!
This midterm election use your right to vote, protect it, and be counted. At the moment, we need both a belt and suspenders.
— Jen Rakow-Stepper, DA Austria Treasurer and DPCA Representative
Upcoming Primaries
Its primary season and races will be taking place in both state gubernatorial and federal House and Senate races — 470 federal-level primary races in all — from March to June.
Special Elections in April:
We have 3 special elections coming up this month:
- April 7: Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice
- April 16: U.S. House, NJ-11, to fill Gov Sherrill's old seat
- April 21: VA Amendment to redistricting of congressional districts
Upcoming Primary Elections:
- May 5: Indiana & Ohio
- May 12: Nebraska & West Virginia
Of course every race is important, and you want to make sure you always receive your ballot for each election you’re eligible to vote for by going to votefromabroad.org and requesting your ballots for the entire calendar year. The New York Times has highlighted some key Senate and Governor’s races in their 2026 Midterm Election Calendar to inspire and remind you that every vote counts!
The Nitty Gritty Election News Update
DEM SPECIAL ELECTION WINS KEEP COMING!
✅ New Hampshire Democrats flipped a Republican seat deep in Trump country, marking the 28th state legislative flip since Trump was elected. Republicans have flipped none. Bobbi Boudman defeated Dale Fincher in a special election for this traditionally Republican NH state House seat, a 13% swing from 2024 when Trump carried it by +9 points.
See more here from the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.
✅ Democrat Andy Thomson has won the Boca Raton, FL mayoral race by just a handful of votes, becoming the first Democratic mayor of Boca Raton in over 30 years.
— Ada Shen, EMEA Regional Get Out the Vote Coordinator
Inside DA Austria:
Meet-Ups in the Provinces
DA Austria members live throughout the country, but most events only happen in Vienna. We’d like to change that!
Meet-ups and events happen regularly in Salzburg and Graz and most recently in Dornbirn. Write Brett at [email protected] if you’d like to get more involved and arrange for a local meet-up in your area.
Local Meet-up in Dornbirn
Friday, 20 March, 2026
Treffen im Ländle! We had a great time connecting with friends old and new at the March 20th meet-up of DA Vorarlberg at San Remo, Dornbirn. Hope to do it again soon!
America Has Always Needed Women Service Members To Carry Out Its Mission
The current administration unnecessarily continues attacking female service members. Why this is unreasonable and why this is ultimately taking an un-American political position plus highlighting the historic role women have played in the military.
READ MORE
— GySgt. George Botorff, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), DAA Veterans and Military Families Caucus Representative and Global VMF Steering Committee Member
Issues and Actions:
NO TYRANTS Demonstration
Saturday, March 28, 2026
More than 300 demonstrators turned out for No Tyrants on March 28, filling Karlsplatz with their colorful, handmade signs. They were there to express their disapproval of Donald Trump’s performance as president and to receive information about how to vote from abroad. The event was organized in parallel with more than 3000 No Kings events held across the United States and the world over.
The crowd included US citizens based in Vienna and other Austrian cities, as well as US tourists who were passing through. Many Austrians and other Europeans also joined the rally, which featured a line-up of speakers and musical performances in addition to original street theater.
Speaker Raimund Löw, an Austrian journalist and historian, served as a correspondent for ORF, Austria’s public broadcaster in locations including Moscow (1989-1991) and Washington, D.C. (1991-1997). Löw provided an informed external observer’s view of the situation in the United States (read Raimund Löw's address here). He expressed his conviction that the US has the capacity for self-correction, and that this power lies within civil society. He compared the growing movement against the Trump administration to the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War, when he was a student.
Speaker Lauren Bazely, who moved to Austria this month, described her decision to leave the US. She and her husband, owners of a small start-up, found that Trump’s economic policies made it impossible to budget, plan, or innovate. “We chose to move somewhere where we can live according to our values,” Lauren said about choosing Vienna as their new home .
Singer and songwriter Danny Chicago performed songs he wrote during the first Trump administration, including the rollicking “Let’s All Go To Washington.” Colleen McCracken sang Lesley Gore’s 1960s hit “You Don’t Own Me.”
The pointed yet comic center of the event was a mock performance review inspired loosely by The Apprentice, which saw Donald Trump vainly attempt to defend his performance as president against a record of lies and broken promises. The skit ended with the crowd chanting repeatedly, “You’re Fired!”
In closing, Brett Carnito, the chair of Democrats Abroad Austria, spoke about how important the vote from abroad can be when it comes to deciding close elections, citing examples from 2020. Brett urged the US citizens present to register and vote. Throughout the event, attendees received voter registration assistance at a Vote from Abroad tent set up on the edge of the rally.
The event was the third No Tyrants organized by Democrats Abroad Austria since spring 2025. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely to be the last. The team of dedicated volunteers that pools their creativity, energy, and time to make events like No Tyrants happen welcomes fresh ideas and helping hands. If you’d like to be involved in planning a future event or in some other way, sign up as a volunteer on the DA Austria website.
— Ann Gagliardi, No Tyrants Co-Coordinator
Looking Back at March —
Still Ain't No Joke — and Neither Was the Turnout
Friday the 13th turned out to be anything but unlucky for DA Austria. Still Ain't No Joke: American Comedy Night brought together a room full of Americans who needed to laugh, and three comedians who made sure they did.
Terence Hartnett kept the evening moving as MC, Bob Vallier flew in from Paris to entertain with his irreverent style, and Jack Holmes brought the house down with sharp self-deprecating comedy.
More than a fun night out, it was exactly the kind of community-building that sustains us — and it raised real money for our get-out-the-vote efforts. Thanks to everyone who came and donated, we will have voter registration tables around Vienna on both spring and fall weekends, finding American citizens and helping them register, and we will have the resources to support our phone banking efforts leading up to the 2026 November midterms. Thank you for showing up — for the laughs, for each other, and for the work.
— Hilary Monihan, Member-at-Large, Events Coordinator
2026 Annual General Meeting
DA Austria held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on March 15, 2026. Our leadership team reviewed our 2025 activities, current financial and membership status, amended our bylaws and presented our plans for 2026. Following official business our participants enjoyed snacks and conversation and explored opportunities to help at our Volunteer Fair. Please write [email protected] to request the PowerPoint summary from the meeting.
— Brett Carnito, DA Austria Chair and DPCA Representative
Solidarity Sundays Goes Full Arts and Crafts
Sunday, 22 March, 2026
Poster-making for the No Tyrants rally commandeered March’s entire meetup — and nobody complained. Armed with paintbrushes, poster board, and an alarming quantity of bright paint, SolSunners produced half the rally’s signage right there in Tanya’s living room. The results were bold, witty, and — if we say so ourselves — genuinely eye-catching. The revolution will be hand-lettered.
Between brushstrokes, the group turned to next moves. The PA postcard project has hit structural obstacles, but Bruce is organising a Vote Forward letter-writing session — real letters to real voters in competitive races — so we can test the format before committing. Jacqueline is bringing a proposal to April’s meetup on Run for Something, the organisation that recruits and backs first-time progressive candidates for down-ballot races.
We bumped our presentation on how US elections actually work — too good to rush — to April 19, along with a closer look at the Maine Democratic Senate primary, a race generating genuine disagreement among Democrats about which candidate gives them the best shot.
Next up: Sunday 19 April, Amerlinghaus. RSVP here.
— Tanya Lolonis, Solidarity Sundays Co-Coordinator
Thanks for reading the April Newsletter!
Don’t forget to register to vote and request your ballot at votefromabroad.org today.
The rules have changed and tightened for many states, and primaries have begun. Go to votefromabroad.org and make it happen. There are people on deck to help if needed.