Below is an online press kit divided into three sections
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Media requests
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The organisation
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The convention
If you are a member of the media, and have any further questions, you can contact us at [email protected].
Media requests
Q: How do I contact a press officer/delegate/representative of Democrats Abroad with a media request?
A: Our media contact in Philadelphia is Amanda Mohar. She can be reached at [email protected].
Democrats Abroad will also have dedicated communications team members overseas to ensure that your press questions will be answered quickly, no matter where you are contacting us from. You can reach us at [email protected].
Q: Can Democrats Abroad arrange an interview with other leaders of the Democratic Party, or the Clinton campaign?
A: No, you will need to contact the relevant office of the person you are trying to reach to arrange an interview.
Q: How are overseas votes counted in the general election?
A: Every absentee vote is counted. When someone votes from overseas, their vote will go to their local election office in the last place in the United States they were registered to vote, and be counted with the other absentee votes.
Q: Did Democrats Abroad hold its own primary?
A: Yes, we held a Global Primary that ran from March 1-8, in 111 cities around the world. Voters from over 170 countries all around the world, cast their ballots, through in-person voting, by fax, email, and post
Bernie Sanders received 69% of the vote in the Democrats Abroad’s Global Presidential Primary, Hillary Clinton 31%. Sanders picked up 9 pledged delegates as a result of the primary, while Clinton secured an additional 4 delegates. We increased our voter participation by 50% over our 2008 numbers
A full breakdown of the total ballots cast for each candidate, and number of delegates received, is detailed here.
The Organization
Q: What is Democrats Abroad?
A: Democrats Abroad is the official arm of the Democratic Party for the millions of Americans living outside the United States. We strive to provide Americans abroad a Democratic voice in our government and elect Democratic candidates by mobilizing the overseas vote. Our primary focus is to register Americans living overseas through our online voting tool www.votefromabroad.org, get out the vote, and advocate for overseas American issues.
Democrats Abroad has committees throughout Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. These Country Committees keep Americans abroad informed of their rights and help them participate in the U.S. political process. A support office is maintained in Washington, D.C.
Democrats Abroad is recognized as a "state" Party by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and is represented on the DNC by eight voting members, as well as at the quadrennial Democratic National Convention.
Q. What issues do Democrats Abroad advocate for?
A. Democrats Abroad prioritizes issues that affect U.S. citizens living overseas. These issues begin with the most fundamental democratic right - voting, and extend to taxation, health care, equal rights and more.
Democrats Abroad’s 2016 platform can be found here.
Q: When did Democrats Abroad form?
A: Democrats Abroad was founded in 1964. A short history of the organization can be found under History on the DA website.
Q: How many members does Democrats Abroad have?
A: We do not release detailed membership numbers, as they rise and fall dramatically during election years, and therefore are an inaccurate indicator of our influence.
Democrats Abroad has members in over 190 countries around the world, and 41 official country committees.
We have over 147,000 activists and voters signed up to support get out the vote and a tremendous reach through our social media channels
Q: How is DA financially supported? Do you get donations from abroad?
A: The organization is supported entirely by donations from our US citizen members and Americans living in the U.S. who value DA’s work and see us as the natural resource to tap into a huge number of potential voters living abroad.
We never accept donations from corporations or foreign citizens.
Q: What is the equivalent organization in the Republican Party?
A: There is none. The Republican Party does not allow US citizens living abroad to have a voice via a dedicated overseas primary, and has no elected delegates from abroad representing its overseas members.
The Convention
Q: Who makes up the Democrats Abroad delegation?
A: The delegation is made up of 13 pledged delegates elected during the 2016 regional caucuses and global convention, and eight "super delegates" who each receive half a vote at the Convention. These "super delegates" include our Chair and Vice Chair, and six Democratic National Committee (DNC) members elected every four years to represent our party within the DNC.
The delegation also includes representatives on the Convention's standing committees, as well as delegate alternates and pages.
A full delegation list, including which country each delegate is resident of, can be found here.
Q: How did Democrats Abroad’s delegates get elected?
A: Our delegation was elected in the same way as other state parties in the United States– we held elections at regional caucuses and then at a global convention in Berlin in May.