FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 11 JUNE 2021
Press contact: Amy Kasper, [email protected], +41 78 734 37 97

U.S. citizens in Switzerland are excited to welcome their 46th President during his first official overseas tour since taking office earlier this year. Membership of Democrats Abroad Switzerland (DACH) view this visit as “a renewed commitment to allies and partners” just as President Biden conveyed in his own words: “demonstrating the capacity of democracies to both meet the challenges and deter the threats of this new age.”

President Joe Biden kicked off his European visit Thursday by meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Both leaders will be attending the Group of Seven (G7) Summit set this year in Cornwall, England starting today 11 June to 13 June where world leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan will gather alongside presidents of the European Commission and the European Council. Afterward Biden will head to Belgium on 14-15 June to meet with the leadership of NATO and the EU. Finally, the trip will culminate in Geneva on 15-16 June to meet with Swiss officials before a much-anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Democrats Abroad warmly welcomes President Biden’s visit, and is proud to see him representing the U.S. on the world stage. DACH Chair Eric Burns says it well: “Democrats Abroad Switzerland is extremely proud to welcome Biden to Geneva. As U.S. citizens abroad we feel directly the impact of U.S. foreign policy so we welcome Biden’s restorative and constructive approach. Our June 16th rally is a strong show of support for the president we worked so hard to elect into office.”

To show support, DACH will be holding a rally in Geneva on Wednesday, June 16 from 11:00-13:00. Congratulatory letters from members will also be sent to President Biden via the United States Embassy in Bern welcoming him to Switzerland and expressing support for his continued efforts to combat COVID-19, bolster the U.S. economy and strategic trade agreements, address the climate crisis head-on, and more. These are challenges which transcend borders and require international and multilateral cooperation, and DACH is pleased that under President Biden, the U.S. is once again a strong global partner.

“The feeling of relief and excitement as we prepare for President Biden's visit is a welcome change from our political activism over the past four years,” said DACH Vice Chair Liz Voss, who was intimately involved with Democrats Abroad’s effort to elect Biden in the 2020 General Election. “I hope this visit energizes our members and encourages them to remain politically active heading into the midterms.”

During the recent election, Democrats Abroad was integral in increasing voter turnout among overseas voters by 250 percent. Approximately 4.8 million U.S. citizens live outside of the United States, according to the U.S. Federal Voting Assistance Program which regularly conducts Overseas Citizen Population Analysis Report. The most recent OCPA report updated in 2018 found that of the 4.8 million living abroad (more than half the size of Switzerland’s population), 2.9 million were eligible to vote. In 2020, they accounted for more than 2 million votes that noticeably tipped the scales in Joe Biden’s favor over his incumbent opponent Donald Trump.

Building on this incredible success, Democrats Abroad continues its work toward connecting U.S. citizens overseas and providing them with a platform to remain civically engaged. The organization is also already preparing for the 2022 midterm elections, which will be crucial to expand Democratic majorities in Congress and help execute the agenda upon which President Biden campaigned.

###

To learn more about Democrats Abroad, you can find us at https://www.democratsabroad.org/ch or on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) at @swissdemocrats.

INFORMATION SHEET

QUICKVIEW STATS and FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Over 19,000 U.S. citizens live in Switzerland; of those, about 15,000 are of voting age.

• DA Switzerland membership has grown by 27.3% since February 2020, with about 4500 members.

• DA Switzerland has chapters in Zurich, Basel, and Geneva, which are hubs for expats.

• Democrats Abroad is the state Democratic party for overseas Americans.

• We represent the 6.5 million eligible voters overseas (out of 9 million total). That’s a larger population than all but 11 US states.

• We have approximately 200k members in over 190 countries around the world, and 45 active country committees.

• We provide members with tools to help them stand up for democracy in America, through voter registration training, regularly published actions, events and marches, and a friendly community of like-minded American citizens living abroad.

FAQs

How large is the organization Democrats Abroad?
Democrats Abroad is the largest organization of civilian Americans outside the US. We are 100% volunteer-led, with active chapters across six continents and members who vote in every U.S. state and congressional district.

We represent the 6.5 million eligible voters overseas (out of 9 million abroad, total), with almost 200,000 activists and voters members in over 190 countries around the world. Our extensive reach goes far beyond our 45 country committees through engaged, active online communities of Americans around the world.

How is DA financially supported? Do you get donations from abroad?
We are supported by generous donations from our US citizen members as well as Americans living in the US who value our work and see us as a natural, critical resource to tap into a huge number of potential voters.

We also, from time to time, receive small grants from the DNC to help support specific projects.

Special note: We never accept donations from corporations or foreign citizens.

How long has Democrats Abroad been active?
There have been patriotic Americans abroad virtually since the country’s inception! But as an organization, Democrats Abroad has been continuously active since chapters were first established in Paris and London in 1964.