Global Primary kicked off on Super Tuesday and runs through Tuesday, March 10, with steady turnout set to increase as voters take to the polls on Saturday.

Democrats Abroad organizers around the world are preparing for their second biggest day of the Global Presidential Primary, which runs March 3 to March 10 this year.

“We are thrilled to be a part of Super Tuesday, but voting during the work week isn’t feasible for many of our voters, so we’ve made it one of our top priorities of 2020 to ensure that Americans abroad have ample opportunity to participate in the global primary,” explained Julia Bryan, Global Chair, Democrats Abroad, “We’ve had great numbers for our global primary so far, but this weekend is really when we expect to see a lot of people turn out.”

Nearly 100 polling stations will be open throughout the weekend, with over 70 scheduled for Saturday. Details for voting events can be found here.

Unlike most state parties, which offer some early voting options and a single primary day of in-person voting, Democrats Abroad’s primary spans an entire week.

“Democrats Abroad regularly works with voters, state parties and election officials to address disenfranchisement impacting Americans living outside of the US,” said Amanda Mohar, Global Communications Director, Democrats Abroad, “For our primary, we don’t want to create the barriers that some voters have found when it comes to sending their ballot back to the states, which is why we have worked to offer them the chance to participate in-person in over 40 countries or vote remotely from wherever they are.”

While in-person voter turnout for the 2020 global primary continues to exceed that of 2016, 3 in 5 voters have chosen to cast their ballots remotely. Democrats Abroad notes that this may increase over the weekend, as some voters choose to avoid public areas, due to the spread of Covid-19.

“So far, the virus has had limited impact on our voting centers, but we are especially encouraging those who may be sick or more susceptible to look at their remote voting options. Remote voting will be available for everyone, no matter what.”

Democrats Abroad is closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation, tracking local government response and guidance, and keeping voters, campaign teams and the DNC updated. As of March 5, closures have impacted voting centers in China and South Korea, and in limited locations in Italy. Some activities in Paris, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have also shifted times and locations as well. Voters are encouraged to check democratsabroad.org for the latest updates, and should reach out to local leadership with any related questions.

Key Dates:

• 3-10 March 2020: Democrats Abroad Global Presidential Primary in-person voting
• 10 March 2020: Remote ballots due
• 23 March 2020: Global Presidential Primary results announced
• 16 May 2020: Democrats Abroad Global Convention
• 13-16 July 2020: Democratic National Convention
• 3 November 2020: United States Presidential Election

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Democrats Abroad is the official organization of the Democratic Party for United States citizens living permanently or temporarily abroad. The organization is given state-level recognition by the Democratic National Committee, with eight positions on the Democratic National Committee, and sends a voting delegation to the Democratic National Convention to select our presidential candidate. For more information, visit democratsabroad.org/2020_press_kit.