National elections were held online during the 2021 DA Germany Annual General Meeting on March 20, 2021. 

2021-2023 Executive Committee

Chair: Kenton Barnes

Vice-Chair: Emily Lines

Secretary: Jennifer von Estorff

Treasurer: Powen Shiah

Chapter Development Coordinator: Matt LeMieux

Communications Coordinator: Kaitlyn Kennedy

Events & Fundraising Coord: Courtney Newman

GOTV Coordinator: Teresa Ritterhoff

Membership/IT Coordinator: Shari Temple

Press Coordinator: Anya Leonhard

DPCA Voting Reps Delegation:

Candice Kerestan

Shari Temple

Aileen Dinin

Anya Leonhard

Matt LeMieux

Powen Shiah

Quaide Williams

Antar Rashiq Keith

Vincienzo Cabrera

Robert Scott

Angela Fobbs

Diego Rivas

Pat Klipp

DAG will be electing its leaders on March 20

Democrats Abroad Germany is a stronger, more effective organization when our leadership looks like our membership. We hope to have candidates from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, cultures, and identities.

Please take a look at the open positions and consider running, or think about someone you might want to nominate to run for a position. With everyone’s help, and working with our strengths, we can get so much done. Have more impact! Help steer the work!

We’ll hold two Info Sessions for interested members this coming week (Feb 10 and Feb 13). You can come to either session to ask questions, and learn about positions and election processes.

Info sessions - RSVP to get the meeting link:
Wed Feb 10 7pm CET
Sat Feb 13 4pm CET

Then join us on Saturday, March 20 from 10:30am to 6:00pm on Zoom for our 2021 DA Germany Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Elections. From 10:30am to 1:00pm, we’ll review our work in the 2020 election cycle and discuss the path to victory in the 2021 special elections and the 2022 midterms. After a one-hour lunch break, we’ll reconvene at 2:00pm for our national elections.

To vote in the election, you must be a DA Germany member and RSVP for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) by 12:00pm on March 20, 2021.

RSVP Here

See the DAG Elections page for more info. All details about the election can be found in the DA Germany Elections Rules and Procedures.

These DAG Executive Committee positions will be elected for two-year terms at the AGM in the following order:

•   Chair
•   Vice Chair
•   Secretary
•   Treasurer
•   Chapter Development Coordinator
•   Communications Coordinator
•   Events & Fundraising Coordinator
•   Get Out the Vote (GOTV) Coordinator
•   Membership & IT Coordinator
•   Press Coordinator
•   12 or more DPCA Voting Representatives (exact number pending)

 Read the job descriptions for each position here

We will be holding chapter elections in all 14 of our chapters during the first quarter of 2021.   You can read all about all of them here.

Elections were held for both of Georgia’s US Senate seats on November 3, 2020. Both of these races are going to Runoff elections, to be held on January 5, 2021, as no candidate received at least 50% of the vote. Democrats need to win both of these seats to have a majority in the Senate so we can have progress in America and the world.

The two races are:

• US Senate: Jon Ossoff (Democrat) versus David Perdue (Republican)

• US Senate Special: Raphael Warnock (Democrat) versus Kelly Loeffler (Republican)

Zwischenmeldung der US-Demokraten in Deutschland zur Präsidentschaftswahl

Stimmen aus dem Ausland treffen in den Swing States noch ein

5. November 2020, 18.30 Uhr — Während die Stimmenauszählung noch läuft, blickt Democrats Abroad Germany, der offizielle Ableger der US-Demokratischen Partei in Deutschland, mit Zuversicht auf das Wahlergebnis, denn unsere Organisation weiß, wie viele der 6.5 Millionen im Ausland lebenden AmerikanerInnen in den letzten Monaten von ihrem Wahlrecht Gebrauch gemacht haben. Allein in Deutschland war die Anzahl von US-BürgerInnen, die einen Stimmzettel über VoteFromAbroad.org angefordert haben, dieses Jahr fünf mal höher als im Vergleich mit der Präsidentschaftswahl 2016. 

Mehr als die Hälfte der Mitglieder von Democrats Abroad sind WählerInnen, die aus Swing States stammen. Die Stimmen dieser im Ausland lebenden US-BürgerInnen könnten in den nächsten Tagen aufgrund des knappen Rennens ausschlaggebend für ein positives Wahlergebnis für Joe Biden werden. Die Gesetze einiger Bundesstaaten sehen vor, dass Stimmzettel aus dem Ausland, die bis zum Wahltag am 3. November abgeschickt wurden, rechtmäßig ausgezählt werden, sofern sie im Rahmen spezifischer Fristen eintreffen (Georgia: 6. Nov; Nevada: 10. Nov.; Pennsylvania: 10. Nov.; North Carolina: 12. Nov. / Quelle: VoteFromAbroad.org/states). Diese Fristen tragen dem Umstand Rechnung, dass Briefwahlzettel aus dem Ausland einen längeren Postweg haben, und sind daher vielfach länger als die Fristen für im Inland abgegebene Briefwahlstimmen.  

“Wir wussten, dass es auf ein knappes Rennen hinauslaufen könnte. Deswegen haben wir seit Monaten um jede Stimme in Deutschland gekämpft,” sagt Candice Kerestan, Vorsitzende von Democrats Abroad Germany, die von München aus ihren Stimmzettel nach Pennsylvania geschickt hat. “Jetzt müssen unsere Stimmen aber auch sorgfältig ausgewählt werden,” betont sie. Wenn dies geschieht, und damit der demokratische Wahlprozess weiterhin legitim durchgeführt wird, könnten die Stimmen aus dem Ausland zu einem wichtigen Faktor für einen Wahlsieg Joe Bidens werden.

If you're a U.S. citizen or dual-national abroad and Georgia was your last U.S. residence (or the last U.S. residence of your American parent if you've never lived in the U.S.), you have the right to vote from abroad in the January 5, 2021 U.S. Senate run-off election!

—

Wenn Du die U.S.-amerikanische oder doppelte Staatsbürgerschaft besitzt, und der Bundesstaat Georgia dein letzter Wohnsitz war (oder der letzte Wohnsitz eines U.S.-amerikanischen Elternteils sofern Du nie in den USA gelebt hast), hast Du das Recht darauf, bei der am 5. Jannuar 2021 stattfindenen Stichwahl zum U.S. Senat teilzunehmen!

—

Join Democrats Abroad Here

Last updated: October 29, 2020

As a U.S. citizen, you can register to vote from abroad while living, working, or traveling overseas by submitting one form, the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). It doesn't matter if you were registered to vote before you left the U.S. or how long you have lived outside the U.S. (including if you've never resided there).

Below you'll find an overview of the entire process of voting from abroad, including:

1. how to register to vote and request your ballot

2. how to confirm your request has been accepted

3. how and when you should receive your ballot

4. how to return your ballot

5. confirm your ballot's arrival

6. what to do if you encounter difficulties,

7. and how to get an "I voted from Germany" sticker!

Please note that there is NO IN-PERSON VOTING in Germany for the November election!

1.) Register to vote and request your ballot 📝

Visit www.votefromabroad.org to fill out your FPCA absentee ballot request — it only takes 5-10 minutes! If you're not registered to vote, the FPCA also serves as a voter registration form. Given the uncertainty surrounding the United States Postal Service (USPS), we strongly encourage you to request that your absentee ballot is sent to you via email.

Once you've filled out the form on www.votefromabroad.org, you will need to submit it to your local election office in the United States. While some states allow the FPCA to be submitted online via Vote from Abroad, others require a scanned or hard copy (the website will provide instructions based on the state you're voting in). If your state requires that you submit your FPCA by postal mail, please use expedited delivery with a courier (read about our discount with FedEx below). State deadlines and submission methods can be found here.

If you have any questions while filling out the form, you can also always refer to Vote from Abroad's FAQ section or type your question in the website's chatbox (red circle in the bottom right-hand corner).

2.) Confirm your request has been accepted and that you will receive a ballot ☑️

You should always verify with your local election official (LEO) that you will be receiving a ballot. After you send in your FPCA request form, call or email your LEO to verify they received it and will be sending a blank ballot to you. Your LEO's contact information is listed in the instructions generated when you complete the FPCA on Vote from Abroad. You can also look up their contact info here.

Alternatively, most states provide a website where you can verify your voter status, although these sites can sometimes be outdated. You can find it by searching for "[state] verify voter registration."

3.) Receive your ballot 📬

As required under the MOVE Act, all states must send absentee ballots to overseas voters no later than 45 days before a federal election (this year: September 19, 2020). You should have received your ballot by now. If you requested it and have not received it, please contact your LEO and submit a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB). You can also contact Democrats Abroad if you need help. There's no downside to submitting a FWAB. But you should also mail in your official ballot as soon as you receive it. All details about the FWAB can be found at the bottom of this page.*

4.) Return your ballot 🗳️

Once you've received your ballot, fill it out and return it immediately. Ballot return methods vary by state (online, email, postal mail, fax). Especially if your state only allows postal mail return — which is the case in many swing states like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin — it is imperative that you return your ballot as quickly as possible.

Check your state's exact ballot return methods here.

If your state allows email or fax ballot return, please use these options as they’re not subject to delay. Here is more information on fax submission. Please note that some states that allow email or fax return require that the ballot be sent by postal mail, too.

If your state requires postal mail ballot return, the best option at this point is to take your ballot to a post office and book DHL Express. It is imperative that you ask for a postmark or date stamp (Zeitstempel) to be placed on the outer envelope.

At this point, we do not recommend booking or paying online with any courier service. You will not receive a postmark if you book or pay online.

Given the ensuing legal battles about postmarked ballots that arrive after November 3, it is also critical that you try to make sure your ballot arrives at your local election office by November 3. However, even with expedited courier services, ballots are still taking several days to get to the United States. It is critical that you send now! Do not wait any longer. Too much is on the line!

Do NOT use the diplomatic pouch at U.S. embassies and consulates to return your ballot at this point. It is too late.

Regardless of how you send in your ballot, remember that you (the voter) must be the one who places it in the mail. In some states, it is unlawful for any other person to handle your voted ballot, even if it is sealed.

And when filling out your ballot and packaging your ballot, don't forget to carefully review the instructions. Don't let human error spoil your ballot! 

5.) Confirm your ballot arrival's at your local election office in the United States

Once you've mailed your ballot, follow up with your local election official to make sure that it arrived and will be counted. Please do not just assume that your ballot has made it! Nearly all states have online tracking services. You can find these by Googling "[your state] ballot tracking". You can also look up your local election office's contact details here, and try to contact them directly. They are experiencing an influx of calls, so you will likely need to remain persistent to get through to someone. 

6.) Having trouble? Need help? 😕

We understand that the process of voting from abroad can be confusing — that's why we're here to help. Check on the link below to get LIVE one-on-one support on Zoom at the times specified.

Sundays (24hrs)

Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays (6 pm-10 pm)

and Saturdays (8 am-4 pm) 

Access live help here.

You're also welcome to contact us via this Google form or by writing to [email protected]. 

7.) "I Voted from Germany" Stickers

As a small thank you for your civic engagement, Democrats Abroad Germany is happy to send you an "I Voted from Germany" sticker free of charge. Request yours here today: https://fs11.formsite.com/DAGermany/ivotedfromgermany/index.html. Download a digital sticker.

* Information on the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) 

If you requested an absentee ballot but have not yet received it, please submit a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB), also known as a "backup" or "emergency" ballot.

What is the FWAB, and why should I use it?

The FWAB is a ballot specifically for overseas voters to use to preserve their vote in uncertain circumstances. Mailing in your FWAB now will protect your vote in case mail is curtailed in the coming weeks.

There's no downside to submitting a FWAB. But you should also mail in your official ballot as soon as you receive it. (Federal law required all states to send ballots to overseas voters by September 19.) If both the FWAB and your official ballot reach your voting jurisdiction by the deadline, only the official ballot will be counted and the FWAB will be discarded. 

How do I submit a FWAB?

If you haven't already submitted a Federal Postcard Application (FPCA) — the absentee ballot request form for overseas voters — this is your first step. You can do this at www.votefromabroad.org. If you're unsure, please fill it out again. Multiple submissions are okay, and your local election office must honor the most recent submission. Please note that information from your FPCA must match your information on your FWAB. 

To fill out the FWAB, go to www.fvap.gov/fwab-privacy-notice. Keep in mind that it is a ballot so be sure to read the instructions carefully!

Helpful details can also be found at www.votefromabroad.org/fwab, and for a detailed PowerPoint on how to fill out your FWAB, visit https://bit.ly/3jCPBrb.

YOUR VOTE MATTERS!

Dear DA Germany Member,

Even though we can’t meet in person this year, there’s certainly going to be a lot to discuss on Election Night and the days after. We’ve organized a series of events around the Election, so that we – Democrats across Germany – can come together, discuss the results as they come in, and share how we’re experiencing the election in real time. Please scroll down for a full list of our Election events. And if you haven't voted, or need voting help, please visit www.votefromabroad.org right now to make sure we'll be celebrating next week! More details on voter assistance are also listed below.

Just because we're away from "home" doesn't mean that we're not working hard to get Democrats elected! We had volunteers on the ground in over 20 cities today finding and helping Americans, including many dual citizens, vote from abroad. Many thanks to all who participated in our "Ready, Set, Vote" outreach day! A reminder that it's not too late for you to spread the word. Here's more on how you can help.

Democrats Abroad Germany is making sure each and every U.S. citizen in Germany participates in the presidential election. We'll be in 19 locations around Germany on 10 October helping Americans get ready to vote. Drop by to meet Democrats Abroad.

If you can't drop by in person, it is not too late to request a ballot from home. Register to vote and request your absentee ballot 📝 All details can be found at www.democratsabroad.org/vote_from_germany.

Step number one: Visit www.votefromabroad.org to fill out your FPCA absentee ballot request — it only takes 5-10 minutes! If you’re not registered to vote, the FPCA also serves as a voter registration form. Given the uncertainty surrounding the United States Postal Service (USPS), we strongly encourage you to request that your absentee ballot is sent to you via email.

If you need help or have a question about voting, get LIVE 1-on-1 voter assistance any Sunday (24hrs), Tuesday, Thursday & Friday (6 pm-10 pm), and Saturday (8 am-4 pm) through November CEST to talk to a volunteer LIVE on Zoom about questions you have about voting from abroad. Access live help here. 

You're also welcome to contact us via this Google form or by writing to [email protected]. 

Democrats Abroad Germany ist zutiefst empört über die hasserfüllten und rassistischen Kommentare, die Tina Chittom von Republicans Overseas Germany wiederholt im Rahmen der gestern ausgestrahlten Talkshow mit Markus Lanz getätigt hat. Denkweisen, die die Menschenwürde in irgendeiner Form missachten und fremdenfeindlichen Verschwörungstheorien dienen, lehnen wir strikt ab.

Leider sind solche Denkweisen innerhalb der Republicans Overseas Germany weit verbreitet. Schon eine kurze Onlinerecherche der Organisation macht deutlich, dass diese nicht nur als Fundraising Super-PAC für Donald Trump fungiert, sondern auch, dass verschiedene Mitglieder der Gruppe nicht davor zurückschrecken, Minderheiten bewusst zu erniedrigen und menschenfeindliche eugenische Theorien zu verbreiten, indem sie beispielsweise Afro-AmerikanerInnen wiederholt als Kriminelle sowie Drogenabhängige diffamieren. Diese Tatsache hätte den ZDF-Redakteuren bewusst sein müssen, bevor sie sich dazu entschieden haben, Frau Chittom als Gast einzuladen.

In diesem Zusammenhang müssen wir ebenfalls unsere Enttäuschung darüber ausdrücken, dass zahlreiche deutsche Medien den Republicans Overseas Germany trotz derartiger Ausfälle immer wieder eine Plattform bieten, um ihre abstoßenden Denkweisen zu verbreiten – und das häufig ohne VertreterInnen der Demokratischen Partei als argumentatives Gegenüber einzuladen. 

Wir betrachten es als höchst inakzeptabel, Diskussionsrunden über Themen wie Rassismus in den Vereinigten Staaten zusammenzustellen, ohne dabei auf eine ausgewogene Gästeliste zu achten, die vor allem den Perspektiven von betroffenen Personengruppen Rechnung trägt. Als offizielles Organ der U.S.-Demokratischen Partei im Ausland vertritt Democrats Abroad Germany mehr als 16.000 U.S.-BürgerInnen in der Bundesrepublik, darunter viele deutschsprachige People of Color, die gerne bereit wären, über die politische Lage in den USA vor der Wahl zu diskutieren.

Democrats Abroad Germany is disgusted by the hateful and racist comments that Tina Chittom of Republicans Overseas Germany repeatedly made during yesterday's talk show with Markus Lanz. We strictly reject ways of thinking that disregard human dignity in any form and advance xenophobic conspiracy theories.

Unfortunately, such ideologies are widespread within Republicans Overseas Germany. A quick online search of the organization reveals that it not only functions as a fundraising Super PAC for Donald Trump, but that many members of the group do not shy away from consciously humiliating minorities and spreading hostile eugenic theories, for example by repeatedly defaming African Americans as criminals and drug addicts. It is unlikely that ZDF researchers and producers missed this before they decided to invite Ms. Chittom as a guest.

In this context, we must also express our disappointment that, despite openly embracing such offensive views, numerous German news outlets continue to provide Republicans Overseas Germany with a platform to spread their repulsive ways of thinking – often without inviting representatives of the Democratic Party as an argumentative counterpart.

We consider it highly unacceptable to host discussion panels on topics such as racism in the United States without paying attention to a balanced guest list – one that includes the perspectives of the people affected. As the official organ of the U.S. Democratic Party for Americans living overseas, Democrats Abroad Germany represents more than 16,000 U.S. citizens in the Federal Republic, including many German-speaking People of Color who would be willing to discuss the political situation in the United States before the election.