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.

Fellow Democrats, 

With the Democratic National Convention (DNC) drawing to an end, Democrats around the world are reminded of how many talented, competent, and diverse candidates the Democratic Party has to offer — officials at all levels of government who are eager to repair the damage the current administration has done and to help create policies that work for all. We're reminded that things don't have to be the way they are. But we must show up on November 3 to get Democrats elected. As President Obama so bluntly stated last night, we cannot let them take away our democracy. For overseas voters especially, this means making a plan NOW to ensure that you're registered to vote and that your ballot will make it to the United States on time. Right here in Germany, we're gearing up for the biggest election of our lifetimes and doing everything we can to help Americans in Germany vote. But we need your help and engagement!

Read below for important updates on voting, how you can get involved, developments within DA Germany (like the founding of our 14th chapter, DA Saxony!), upcoming events (like a post-DNC conversation with DA's three delegates from Germany!), and how you can order Biden-Harris and DA merchandise (pictures below). 

Democrats Abroad Germany sends three Delegates to the Democratic National Convention

Drei Delegierten von Democrats Abroad Germany nehmen an der Democratic National Convention teil

Tyler Cofield, Anya Leonhard and Diego Rivas are responsible for representing Democrats Abroad, probably the most diverse “state party”  as well as the campaign of the candidate they are pledged to at this unconventional DNC Convention.

Meet the young sovereign delegates. 

Tyler Cofield, Anya Leonhard und Diego Rivas vertreten Democrats Abroad, der wohl vielfältigsten "Staatspartei", sowie den Wahlkampf des Kandidaten, dem sie bei diesem unkonventionellen DNC-Kongress verpflichtet sind.

Lernen Sie die jungen souveränen Delegierten kennen.

There are an estimated 120,000 U.S. citizens living in Germany, all of whom we want to remind to request their absentee ballots (request yours here). During these times of social distancing, this has become a more challenging task, but there is an easy way for you to help us reach voters: Get some Democrats Abroad and Vote From Abroad merchandise!

As members of the DA Germany Student Outreach Team and Youth Caucus, we stand in solidarity with international students pursuing their education at U.S. institutions and call for the immediate retraction of the proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies that unjustly target them.

On July 6, 2020, ICE released a statement that announced holders of certain student visas (F-1 and M-1) would be denied entry, extensions or targeted for deportation if they were not enrolled in in-person courses. The changes limit the amount of online credit hours students can take, at a time when more universities are switching to full-time online teaching in face of the CoVid-19 pandemic. This is a direct attack on the physical and mental well-being of students and local communities.

At a moment when the political and social demands of Black, Indigenous and people of color are being elevated and fought for in the streets, we understand that the proposed changes disproportionally affect international students from lower economic backgrounds or global spaces with limited technology, making online courses increasingly difficult. It similarly denies students who left the USA at the beginning of the pandemic an opportunity to return to the lives they have built. We find this unacceptable and in-line with other condemnable ICE policies that target migrant communities throughout the United States.

From our own experiences studying abroad in Germany (and various other places), we know that the denial of a visa does not only mean refused access to education but it also means the upheaval of personal lives and connections that are built every day, for some it may even mean a loss of livelihood. International students are a crucial part of the lives of universities and colleges not only in the US but worldwide, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. We appreciate initiatives at the state-level aimed at protecting students and stopping the regulations from being implemented.

We therefore stand in solidarity with all international students in the United States and globally.

Links to support:

http://www.change.org/p/immigration-and-customs-enforcement-stop-sevp-from-blocking-international-students-from-their-colleges-and-universities

http://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/allow-international-students-finish-their-degrees

Make a video letting people know why you vote from abroad.

Your video will be used to make a compilation video of members of Democrats Abroad saying “I vote from abroad because” and then their reason

You can make a partisan video. Or you can make a non-partisan which refers to general issues such as the environment, health care, etc. with mentioning anyone in particular.

Here is a sample video to use as a template

We are 100% volunteer-run — we have no paid staff or consultants and no offices. Our mission is to find and mobilize the more than 120,000 Americans living in Germany to vote. In 2016, it is estimated that only 17% of Americans in Germany actually voted. In that election year, we calculated that every Euro spent resulted in 3 new members/voters. Awareness of DA Germany and our mission is key!

In 2020, we were able to be the margin of victory in a number of races thanks to the hard work of our volunteers and the numerous donations we received. We are already working to prepare for 2022 and its clear how important it will be for Democrats to maintain control of the Senate and House of Representatives. While we have little overhead, we do have costs for activities like mailings, phone banking, advertising, software, etc.

Please join us and donate to turn out the American vote in Germany for Democrats!

Account Name: Democrats Abroad Germany
IBAN: DE04 5405 0220 0140 2702 99
BIC: MALADE51KLK

Become a Sustaining Monthly Donor

For as little as €5.00 per month, you can ensure that DA Germany has the foundation we need to stay focused on our mission instead of spending our time fundraising to pay our bills. To schedule a direct deposit donation, please set up a “Dauerauftrag” from your German bank account using our account information below. We gladly accept donations in greater amounts!

Make a One-Time Donation

To make a one-time donation, please use our bank information (Euros) or mailing address (US Dollars) below to do so. If you are donating to a specific campaign (for example, Dialing for Democracy), please indicate that under "Verwendungszweck".

Donate for Merchandise

We have swag! Our merchandise program also helps fund our voter outreach and education programs.

Thank you for your support!

On Flag Day, DA Germany phonebankers, along with volunteers from 11 other countries, came together to participate in Dialing for Democracy, a one-day call-a-thon and fundraiser. Our goal was to reach as many overseas voters as possible to remind them to request their absentee ballots for November, something you can do right now at www.votefromabroad.org. So how did it go?!

• Get involved in phone banking: We need you to help us reach Americans in Germany and beyond!

Sign up for phone banking: https://www.democratsabroad.org/de_phonebanking

Sign up for an online training class here. Please RSVP to receive the link to connect to the training:

Thursday, August 13 at 7:00 PM Berlin

Wednesday, August 19 at 3:00 PM Berlin

Attend an online in-person help session

Click any of the links below, RSVP to the event and you will receive an email with a Zoom link to connect to our voter help desk.

Office Hours (Voter Assistance) Thursday, June 25, 6:30 PM. More Info/RSVP

Office Hours (Voter Assistance) Tuesday, July 7, 7:00 PM. More Info/RSVP

Office Hours (Voter Assistance) Wednesday, July 15, 5:00 PM. More Info/RSVP

Office Hours (Voter Assistance) Sunday, July 26, 5:30 PM. More Info/RSVP

*All of our voter assistance is non-partisan, and we will help any U.S. citizen register to vote regardless of where they live, where they vote, or what party they support.*

Request your absentee ballot for the November election at https://www.votefromabroad.org/