Democrats Abroad AGM 2025 Election Results

Congratulations to our newly elected international officers:

Chair Martha McDevitt-Pugh, Netherlands

Vice Chair Steve Nardi, Canada

Secretary Inje Kjemtrup, UK

Treasurer Daniela Salvioni, Italy

Counsel Kate Sawyer, Switzerland

Many resolutions passed, and a few more complicated ones are slated to be reopened in another meeting to be held before September. We’ll share the news with you as it becomes available. 

Presidential Oath of Office

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” 

In 1939 another world leader held a parade for his birthday. It was used as a political tool, to stand up to the world - with Nazism.  

We remember what happened next. 

from the Editor…

Parades should celebrate the best of us, bring us together to highlight our achievements, and join with our communities. They should not be agents of division. 

Where will you RESIST on June 14th?

Join one of many resistance events held all over the world. Find local events wherever you are on this map.

Weaponizing Democracy - continued…

So much of the Trump agenda is aimed at reducing benefits for Seniors. We urge you to dedicate an hour per month (or more!) to do at least 1 action. 

We implore you to Contact Your Representatives, especially if they are Republicans. It’s never been more important that they hear from ALL of their constituents. 

We also urge you to share this newsletter with all those in your social circles - Democrat, Independent, and Republican/Libertarian alike, with Americans and non-Americans, and ask that all of them share this with their circles too. Many Republicans are regretting their vote for President as they see prices increase, the stock market drop, the national deficit explode. We hope for their votes in 2026 to flip the House and Senate. 

THIS is how to build a global response to RESIST!

CALLS to ACTION

1. Republicans "Big Beautiful Bill" means cuts for Seniors and others

Steve Regenstrief, Chair of the Democratic National Committee Seniors Council, is urging us to Call our Senators NOW with a simple message: NO cuts to Medicaid, Medicare or SNAP! Click HERE to find bullet points on the bill prepared by Steve, and call scripts. If you don’t need a script, call Congress at 202 224-3121. 

2. The SAVE Act - still NO!!

The SAVE Act will be the ultimate act of voter suppression and will make it much more difficult for overseas Americans to vote. Call or email both of your Senators - whether they are Democrats, Independents or Republicans/Libertarians. Scripts are prepared for you HERE.

If you’re on Social Media, find the Senators speaking out against SAVE, and share their posts - you can find Democrats Abroad on these platforms:

Facebook - Instagram - Threads — YouTube — Twitter / X — TikTok — BlueSky — Mastadon  — LinkedIn  — Reddit

3. Save Social Security!

Call your representative to demand they protect Social Security! Links and call scripts are provided HERE. 

4. Register to Vote & Request Your Ballot

All races, from Mayoral to Federal, are listed on Ballotpedia. 

Check your state to see if you can vote in “down ballot” races. 

We are encouraging everyone to request your ballot this year.  Special elections are happening all the time. This will not only ensure that you can vote in elections that may come up this year - your ballot will be sent to you automatically. If you don’t receive a ballot, it will also highlight any problems in voter registration that may be coming from the Trump assault on voting rights.

Problems? Contact the VFA online help desk at [email protected]

5. Find more ACTIONS on our new TAKE ACTION page.

6. Encourage Friends to Vote and RESIST  

Please get in touch with friends and family to ask them to reach out too. We need all Dems to VOTE. Here's a script you can use: 

Hi (friend), 

Just checking in to see if you’ve requested your ballot yet for this year. Between the Trump Executive Order on voting disenfranchisement and the SAVE Act, it’s more important than ever to get ahead of any barriers.

VOLUNTEERS

We need you!! Volunteers are the backbone of our organization.

You can find the list of positions our caucus is looking to fill on our Volunteer page.  Please email our Chair for details and to let him know you're interested.

• We are looking to fill our Vice Chair and Secretary positions.
• We are looking for members of a new Social Security Committee.
  
  

MEDICARE & SOCIAL SECURITY

Announcing New Chairs for our Medicare and Social Security Committees

We are happy to report that Seniors Caucus Steering Committee member, Brendan Read, has been asked to serve as Chair of our new Social Security Committee. We are in good hands, as it was he who brought us together with other organizations to repeal WEP. 

We also welcome Jim Mercereau to head up our new Medicare Committee. 

Do you have expertise in either issue? Please get in touch.  

SSA Online Tools & Social Security Works!

We’ve provided you, our members, with a Quick Guide to SS & Medicare benefits on both our Seniors Caucus SS/Medicare website and on our U.S. Benefits page. 

STORIES

Blue Vote Cafe Podcast 

Listen in as DA members David Shellenberg and Rachel Eugster chat with Ezra Levin and Debbie Weiss of Indivisible about reasserting democratic control of the country, and how Indivisible began. You don’t want to miss this one. 

Ezra talks about the transformative potential of a nonviolent movement of local communities protesting peacefully and boisterously and demonstrating to each other that we are not alone in fighting authoritarianism.

Debbie offers practical tips for how everyone and anyone can contribute, and both underline the message that only the people can save democracy.

Ezra also reminds us all that gathering in your community to protect each other is the most human thing you can do. LISTEN HERE.

Do you have a story to tell?

We all do. Have you been to a DA Event? Are you a volunteer? Are you impacted by impending legislation? No matter where you live, we’d like to see the faces of Democrats Abroad. Even very short (15 to 30 second) videos that are fun can make a big splash. 

Send your video(s) to our Chair at: [email protected] 

TECH CORNER

Passkey, Facial Recognition  & USA Border Travel tips 

Are you being asked to sign in using Face Recognition and/or Passkey? These apps can make login faster, without having to remember passwords. However, they can also be abused. Passkeys are stored in the iCloud, and in spite of encryption, accounts can be breached by hackers.  See our Tech Tips on how you can protect yourself. 

VOTING

Given the chaos over The Save Act, and fear that we may be forced to Register to Vote stateside, we ask - couldn’t ID.me be used to prove citizenship for voting? It is a recognized option to identify users for the IRS, the Social Security and Veterans Administrations, and states can use it. Have you used it? Let us know if it worked for you. 

How to Vote from Abroad

We highly recommend that each voter file an FPCA form in 2025 

Have questions about voting? Vote from Abroad (VFA) provides one-on-one voter assistance - on voter status, never voted, or anything about voting as an American overseas. You can ask online, check our FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page, or come to a Voter Assistance Session. Voting made easy!

TAXATION

If you’ve just moved overseas 

and want to learn about tax filing, FBAR, FATCA and more, the Tax Section on this page will walk you through the basic information. It is not intended as tax advice.

~ This IRS page has helpful information for overseas taxpayers. 

~ Click here to Get Your Social Security Statement for 2024 

DA EVENTS

• DA Caucus Events for 2025
• DA YouTube channel