Democrats Abroad will hold our follow-up August 2021 Global Meeting entirely online.
The meeting will be held across the weekend of August 21-22.

Democrats Abroad Global Meetings are possible thanks to participant donations. You will be redirected to the donation page after you RSVP.

** If you are not logged into your Nation Builder account, please make sure you enter your NationBuilder email for the RSVP.

Links to the meetings will be emailed to all RSVPs during the week of August 9th. The tentative agenda is here. 

Click Here to donate in support of the Global Meeting and DA's GOTV activities.

Click Here to donate to the Travel Fund for the 2022 Global Meeting.

                           Nominations are now open - See information below.

The Democrats Abroad Global Caucuses, in support of the Global Disability Caucus-In-Formation, invite you to join us for a panel discussion where we’ll talk about the ADA, provide some context, raise issues and hear from a panel of DA members and others as they share their own experiences with disability and the challenges, issues and successes they have faced.  We hope to hear what they would want us to know about living with disability as well as what we can do to create a better DA for all members who are experiencing their own challenges.  We hope this will be just the beginning of many productive events and conversations in the coming months and years.

In preparation for our event, we invite you to watch the documentary CRIP CAMP: A DISABILITY REVOLUTION on YouTube. It is 106 minutes and the executive producers are President B. Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

 Our Panelists:

• Somer Matthews, M.Ed, LEAPS Doctoral Scholar, University of North Carolina Greensboro;
• Max Macleod, Autism Advocate; Vice-Chair of DA Edmonton Chapter;
• Anthony “Mike” Nitz, Vice-Chair of DA Vietnam;
• Denise Roig, Published Author; Global Women’s Caucus Comms Team;
• Heather Stone, Lawyer; Visually Impaired; DA Global Deputy International Counsel; President of DA Israel NPO.
  

Our Moderators: 

• Marnie Delaney, Formation Committee Chair of DA Global Disability Caucus; 
• Elizabeth Blackbourn, Chair of DA China;
• Ken Sherman, DA DNC Member and
• Lissette Wright, DPCA Voting Rep for Canada.

Our Volunteer ASL Interpreter: Dr. Kimmberli Sparkle Stowe, DA China Member

Note:  The panel members will alternate, speaking 5-10 minutes and taking questions for 5-10 minutes. 

DA Global Disability Caucus-In-Formation

If you would like to be kept informed about the the work we are and will be doing. or if you would like to volunteer to work with the caucus-in-formation, please click here!

Find your Time Zone:
9:00 AM Washington DC
3:00 PM Paris, France
7:30 PM Bangalore, India
8:00 PM Hanoi, Vietnam
9:00 PM Beijing, China

Join Democrats Abroad Hispanic Caucus  at our webinar on Statehood for Puerto Rico!

We are honored to count as our guests: 

RSVP below to receive the link.

And please donate to Democrats Abroad with a donation that will help us get out the vote among Hispanic and Latinx Americans around the world.  We made the difference in several close races in 2020 - and with your help we will make the difference in 2022 and 2024.  Every donation counts - whether large or small (but large counts a little more).

Click here to donate.

Fundraiser for Legislative Advocacy

Help Reinstate New Jersey Law for Overseas Voters to Vote in State Elections

 Attention New Jersey Voters

DONATE NOW to help us reach and mobilize New Jersey Democrats Abroad!

New Jersey currently does not allow all overseas voters to vote in state elections, even though overseas voters could vote in state elections before Chris Christie pushed through a change in the law in 2017.

Passing the Equal Rights Amendment is long past due, but fortunately, we as a country have a pathway in front of us to renounce discrimination of equal rights on account of sex. I am proud my home state of Maryland is on the right side of history and passed this in 1972, as well as that Senator Cardin (D-MD) is the Lead Sponsor for Senate Joint Resolution 1 that would remove the ratification deadline.

Growing up in a state that had ratified the ERA prior to my birth meant that I had the law on my side regarding types of discrimination that impact residents of other states. For a period of time while working as an RN I lived in the state of Virginia -- prior to that state’s own historic passage of the ERA. While living there about seven years ago, I experienced domestic violence in a romantic relationship. I knew somewhat that the laws did not protect me as definitively, but I did not find out until later that Virginia had not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. I ended up having to urgently pack and move my belongings out of the state in over a foot of snow for my own safety. I was extremely fortunate that friends helped me move, and that my proximity to my employer remained about the same. However, many do not have the ability and resources to leave their situations in this way, and ratifying the ERA means the consistent enforcement of restraining orders and equally important measures for victims of domestic violence.

The ERA is an important milestone, but certainly not the termination of the pursuit of equal rights under the law for all Americans. We as a nation must do everything we can to support and reinforce the narrative that any legislation that is complicit with or outright justifies discrimination of any person will be removed from the books entirely. If we can take down statues that embody inequality, we must be compelled to similarly dismantle and rectify codified institutional sexism, misogyny, oppression, and objectification.

The time is NOW to pass the ERA, and I am proud to be able to advocate for equal rights alongside my Democrats Abroad peers.

Maryland Voter, Sweden Resident

Have you ever made a successful change in your life? Perhaps you wanted to exercise more, eat less, or change jobs? Think about the time and attention you dedicated to the process. A lot, right? Change is hard. Creating effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of power, privilege, supremacy, and leadership is like any lifestyle change. Setting our intentions and adjusting what we spend our time doing is essential. It’s all about building new habits. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. The good news is, there’s an abundance of resources just waiting to empower you to be a more effective player in the quest for equity and justice.

About the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge 

• For 21 days, do one action to further your understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity 
• This plan includes suggestions for readings, podcasts, videos, observations, and ways to form and deepen community connections. Suggestions are in the following categories:

• Choose one activity per day to further your understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity.
• Diversify your habits by doing some of each.
• Use the tracking chart provided here to stay on course. You can download the editable spreadsheet or a PDF for printing.
• We think understanding white privilege and white supremacy is a powerful lens into the complexities of doing social justice work, so we’ve focused our resources on that specific issue.

Please read this whole message carefully, since it contains important information to help U.S. voters in Sweden vote this year.

Do you know when you'll be getting your ballot and how to return it? The 2020 presidential election is less than 50 days away. Don't delay!

Voting from abroad has in fact already begun. Some states have sent ballots to overseas voters already and all states will have done so by September 19. 

A lot of important updates since the Democrats Abroad 2020 Global Presidential Primary are here:

📌 Coronavirus Crisis

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Sweden Executive Committee has decided to extend the period during which we will not be having in-person events until April 15th. We continue to assess the situation on an ongoing basis, and will let members know when we will be resuming in-person events. 

We are preparing a number of online/remote events, including for voter registration assistance, and are shifting our focus to outreach via social media and phone banking. 

📌 Voter Registration for 2020

Have you gone to votefromabroad.org yet to request your 2020 absentee ballot?
Don't wait - fill out your Federal Post Card Application form today!

📌 Democrats Abroad Delegates to the 2020 DNC - Applications Now Accepted!

During the week of August 17^th, the Democrats Abroad delegation will join the other state party delegations at the Democratic National Convention to formally choose our nominee for President of the United States.

Any DA member is eligible to run, and the Affirmative Action Committee strongly emphasizes the importance of DA members from historically-underrepresented backgrounds to run as delegate candidates in showing the world the diversity of our Party and our members around the world.

Forms to declare delegates’ candidacy are now available online. Please fill it out as soon as possible and return it no later than April 17^th.

Workshops with Democrats Abroad about becoming a 2020 DNC Delegate are happening on these dates next week:

• Saturday, April 11th at 9 AM CEST &
• Monday, April 13th at 7 PM CEST

📌 Earth Day 50th Anniversary Panel Discussion

On April 21st, the eve of the 50th Anniversary celebration of Earth Day, the Democrats Abroad Global Women's Caucus will present a virtual panel discussion on "Women and the Environment". Sign up to attend here.

📌 FAQs on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Safety (CARES) Act from the Democrats Abroad Taxation Tax Force

Democrats Abroad has received many hundreds of emails from members interested in understanding the provisions of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, their eligibility for support and how and when they might receive it.

In order to prevent delays in our responses, the Democrats Abroad Taxation Tax Force has developed from member emails a FAQs document that aims to address the key concerns we have been hearing. The Taxation Task Force will continue to add to it as needed.

📌 Volunteer with Democrats Abroad Sweden

Did you know that Democrats Abroad is an entirely volunteer-run organization? That means everything we do to reach out to voters abroad is because of the dedication and commitment of our amazing volunteers.

Can you help take action with us?

• Sign up to phonebank from home for 2020 voter registration - phone calls are one of our most effective ways of reaching out to voters 📲
• Making calls costs money! Please consider making a donation today, and pick the "Give to Support Phonebanking" option in the drop-down menu
• Fill out our DA Sweden Volunteer Survey to let us know other ways you can help
  
  

No commitment is too small, and working together has collective power!

Yours,

Beth Landry [They/Them]
Vice Chair, Democrats Abroad Sweden
[email protected]

Welcome to Democrats Abroad EMEA!

There is a good chance you're seeing this page because you are a member of Democrats Abroad in the Europe, Middle East, & Africa region, but the country where you live does not (yet?) have a Country Committee. There are currently 26 countries in the EMEA region with Country Committees.

These Country Committees keep Americans abroad informed of their rights and help them participate in the U.S. political process. Our members -- people just like you -- live in more than 190 countries around the globe and vote in every state and Congressional district in the U.S.

Are you interested in how to get more involved where you live?
Get in touch with us today!

Will Bakker
Regional Vice-Chair for EMEA
[email protected]

Quaide Williams, Michelle Taube, Brooke Burns & Beth Landry
Deputy Regional Vice-Chairs for EMEA

Don’t miss your chance to vote in-person in Sweden this presidential year! 

The Global Presidential Primary (GPP) is a week-long voting period -- kicking off on March 3, Super Tuesday! -- for Democrats Abroad members to participate in our official party-run presidential primary. We’re holding more than 240 events in 45 countries around the world. We hope you’ll be joining us!

To vote using a remote ballot via email or post, follow the instructions here: https://www.democratsabroad.org/primary. Please also scroll to the bottom of this page for information about our DA Sweden Ballot Assistance Events, as well as some of our Frequently Asked Questions about voting in the GPP.

We’re thrilled to announce event details for 9 Democrats Abroad Sweden Voting Centers.
Click on the dates below to go to the event pages for each Voting Center:

GOTHENBURG

Tuesday, March 3
2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Saturday, March 7
1:00 PM to 5:00 PM

HALMSTAD

Thursday, March 5
4:30 PM to 7:00 PM

KALMAR

Sunday, March 8
12:00 PM to 3:00 PM

MALMÖ

Tuesday, March 3
5:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Saturday, March 7
10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

STOCKHOLM

Friday, March 6
11:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Saturday, March 7
10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

UPPSALA

Thursday, March 5
10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

We will also have 3 Ballot Assistance Events here in Sweden. Ballot Assistance Events are available for voters to receive help registering to vote, signing up to join Democrats Abroad, as well as ensuring their remotely-voted ballots have all the required information. There won't be a Ballot Box, but our volunteers will be ready to help you navigate the 2020 Democrats Abroad Global Presidential Primary in almost any other way!

Click below to go to the event pages for each Ballot Assistance Event:

BORÅS

Saturday, March 7
1:00 PM to 5:00 PM

JÖNKÖPING

Sunday, March 8
1:30 PM to 4:30 PM

UDDEVALLA

Saturday, March 7
1:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Frequently Asked Questions you may have about the GPP:

"Am I eligible?"

If you’re a Democrats Abroad member and you haven’t voted (or plan to vote) in any other 2020 state presidential primary/caucus, you’re eligible to vote in the Global Presidential Primary.

"What if I can’t join a voting event in person?"
If you can’t join us at our events in Sweden, you can vote remotely. Look for your primary ballot in your inbox on February 18, or download it from democratsabroad.org starting on Feb 18, as well.

"Do votes in the GPP count? Why should I participate in the GPP instead of voting in my state’s presidential primary?"

Yes your vote counts! In fact, you could even say that votes in the GPP count even more. Tens of thousands of people will participate in the global primary, but millions will vote in your home state. That means that your vote in the Global Presidential Primary is more powerful than voting in the California primary. In fact, it’s 4 times more powerful!

"I vote in California. Can I vote in the Global Presidential Primary and the California primary?"

You can only vote in a presidential primary once. If you vote in the global primary and want to vote in California for the down-ballot primary races (like for your congressperson), you can! Just skip the presidential section on your California ballot.

"Where can I ask further questions?"
Please email [email protected] for voting-related questions, and Info-Sweden@democratsabroad.org for other questions.

P.S. Help us spread the word! Consider liking and sharing our social media posts about the GPP!

Yours,

Beth Landry

Vice Chair, Democrats Abroad Sweden