For Democrats Abroad Ecuador, it’s finally time for us to come together. The turnout of overseas voters will be particularly critical in the midterms, and the time to start organizing is rapidly approaching.

So please join us for an opportunity to socialize with other Democrats in Cuenca, hear our plans for 2022, and be updated on news from DA Global. Safety protocols will be observed.

And the exciting news: Our 2022 calendars. featuring the winners of our photo contest, will be available for sale at the event. The money we raise will help us get out the vote in 2022!

If you are not in Cuenca and want to host an event or have information about calendars, contact us at [email protected]

For updates and further information about calendar sales, see our Facebook page at Democrats Abroad Ecuador.

Tuesday, November 16th from 4:30 to 6:30 PM, Free, Fabiano’s Zona Rosa location (below Common Grounds) Gran Colombia and Unidad National, Cuenca.

Democrats Abroad Ecuador: [email protected]

Americans abroad can once again use their embassies to send ballots and voting material back to the US, thanks to Senator Tim Kaine and a Democrats Abroad webinar call.

On May 8th, Democrats Abroad was honored to speak with Senator Tim Kaine on a zoom call. During the course of the call, one of our members from Kazakhstan noted that they were no longer able to use their consulate to send in their ballot. We asked the Senator about this issue, and he immediately suggested that we should work on a remedy together. We got in touch immediately and are delighted to share the following message from Senator Kaine with all DA members worldwide:

We’re happy to report back that after some persistent engagement over the last few weeks, the State Department has agreed to revise its guidelines and will now provide voting assistance services during Phase I of its reopening plan. It is our understanding that most State facilities are shifting into Phase I within the week. 

Under State’s “Diplomacy Strong” reopening plan, Phase 0 (pandemic-driven skeleton staffing) permitted only life-or-death services and emergency repatriations. Phase I permits resumption of contact-free mission critical services and partial re-staffing. Voting assistance was previously categorized as a non-essential service for Phase II, which some locations may not move to for several weeks or even months.  However, as we pointed out, the ability to vote certainly meets the definition of mission critical in an election year, and the standard use of secure ballot collection boxes does not require any face-to-face contact.

State advised all embassies and consulates of this change on June 4. At our further recommendation, State also directed embassies and consulates to message out their current ballot acceptance policies to all U.S. citizens in their districts, and to continuously provide updates if their local policy changes.

There may still be some locations where voting assistance services will not be possible in the short term due to external issues (such as local movement restrictions limiting access to the embassy, or airport closures preventing international diplomatic pouch shipments). However, at minimum Americans at those locations will now know in advance if they need to make alternate arrangements.

Thank you again for flagging this for us, and please do keep us posted if you hear anything further from Democrats Abroad’s members.

Democrats Abroad would like to send a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to Senator Kaine for his assistance on this important issue. The voting process is a sacred right for all American citizens, no matter which country they call home. Our members are grateful that our voices and concerns will be heard and that they will be addressed as befitting our status as citizens of the United States of America.

Democrats Abroad Ecuador holds voter registration events Tuesday and Friday of the month. Come learn how to vote from abroad and meet fellow Democrats. We will discuss common questions such as:

           * What is the process to vote as a US citizen living abroad?

           * Can I vote in the primaries as an overseas voter?

           * I want to vote in the 2020 elections--What should I do now?

           * I'm already a registered voter and/or my state always sends my blank ballot. Why should I send in the FPCA form?

Our registration events are held in Cuenca at Café de Ñucallacta II, Av. 3 de Noviembr (Plaza Otorongo) from 12 PM to3 PM

http://www.google.com/maps/place/Otorongo,+Cuenca/@-2.8979764,-79.0132749,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x91cd180e867aec57:0xdf6e29e566c67b30!8m2!3d-2.8979818!4d-79.0110862?hl=en

Does your state accept elections materials using alternatives to postal mail, such as email, online upload, or fax? Or is postal mail mandated?

I. States restricting transmission to postal mail for

II. States offering electronic options (email, online access, fax) to

a. Deliver Blank Ballot to Voter

Every state will send absentee ballot electronically to voters abroad if preference to receive voting materials by "Email or online" or "Fax" is indicated on Ballot Request form (FPCA).

b. Return Voted Ballot 🗳

1. Alabama – return using online upload of ballot if choosing to received voting materials by "Email or online."
2. Alaska – return by fax if choosing to received voting materials by "Email or online" or "Fax."
3. Arizona
4. California – return by fax
5. Colorado – vote online at ballotreturn.sos.colorado.gov
6. Delaware
7. District of Columbia
8. Florida – return by fax
9. Hawaii
10. Indiana
11. Louisiana – return by fax with prior arrangement by LEO
12. Kansas
13. Maine
14. Massachusetts
15. Mississippi
16. Montana – vote online at www.vote4montana.us
17. Nebraska – return by email or fax with prior arrangement by LEO
18. Nevada
19. New Mexico
20. North Carolina
21. North Dakota
22. Oklahoma – return by fax
23. Oregon
24. Rhode Island – check with your election official to return by email or fax
25. South Carolina
26. Utah
27. Washington
28. West Virginia