It's GO Time!
Folks, get ready to vote.
We’ve shared ample inspirational messages. Now both the ask and the action are simple. The ask: VOTE. The action: Check in with your friends, families, classmates, colleagues, and even perhaps strangers you meet to make sure they are registered and have requested their ballots. We need to vote in crushing, record-breaking, undeniable, and overwhelming numbers.
Republicans are using every lever of power they can to wear us down, freak us out, make voting so challenging we are discouraged, or have us believe our vote will be thrown out. They are funded by billionaires and abetted by algorithms. The Supreme Court seems intent on upholding efforts to suppress mail in voting.
Here’s my response: I’m from Brooklyn, and my sweet little mom was from Brooklyn. And in her honor, and with her tacit approval wherever she is, I’ve got one thing to say: Fuck that.
I sign off each monthly newsletter with the rebel motto from The Handmaid’s Tale: Nolite te bastardes carborundorum - “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” Mel Robbins says more decorously - “Let Them.” Marcus Aurelius, the ancient stoic said it best - “Let them scream whatever they want.”
VOTE.
We don’t care how hard this fight will be. We fight anyway, because it matters. Deeply.
Request your 2026 ballot, if you still have not. And do your best to make sure everyone you know has requested theirs. Then move on to the people you don’t know. There are two reasons we keep pointing to votefromabroad.org. First, because you will receive your ballot in your inbox on September 19th - no concern it gets lost in the mail or not mailed out at all; and second, IF you run into any issues with voting, whether your registration has been purged, or your ballot lost or refused, you will have trained volunteers to help you navigate the process.
- Check your voting status - and do it regularly. Make sure you have not been purged.
- Finally - Fill out a back-up ballot (FWAB) - double your chances of getting your ballot delivered. It’s entirely legal.
Mark your calendars! Your ballot drops in your inbox on September 19th. Print it out and return it as soon as you get it.
Every state is different - you may be able to email or fax it back. But if your state rules are that you must return a hard copy - then make your plan. Use votefromabroad.org as your personal assistant - the rules for every state are there. We are stressing the importance of returning your ballot immediately because of possible challenges with the U.S. Postal Service. We strongly encourage you to use Vote From Abroad and not your local elections office (LEO). That said, do check with your LEO to confirm that they received your ballot request and that you have not been purged from the voter rolls.
States that always require ballot return by mail: Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
States that require ballot return by mail unless you’re military in a hostile zone: Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Texas
There are so many issues on the ballot: affordability, reproductive rights, healthcare, the environment, wars, tariffs, not to mention corruption, chaos, and just general stupidity. Or you could say, it’s all on the ballot.
We’ve got another month of full court press, and we all have a role to play in winning this fight.
We were made for this. If nothing else, do it for Dolly.
Sally DeSipio
Chair, Global Women’s Caucus (GWC)
Find out who you are and do it on purpose. And do it with purpose…Don’t ever sacrifice who you are, your principles and your morals and your values to just try to get ahead…It ain’t worth it.
-Dolly Parton
| JOIN THE GWC TEAM |
We can guarantee you one thing: joining our team of amazing women is a great way to channel your anger, your frustration and your anxiety. We have so many creative ideas to amplify our core message: voting is the most powerful tool we have. Our team is cross-generational and spread across multiple continents. We are only bound by our energy and our ideas. VOLUNTEER today!
Here are our most pressing needs:
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- Content Creators: We are storytellers. If you are comfortable being on camera, please join our impressive marketing team. We provide scripts and editing.
- Graphic Designers: The GWC has our own brand. We embrace creativity of all kinds. Experience in Canva preferred.
- Journalists: Prose allows us to give context and nuance to complicated subjects. Sometimes that is a far better avenue for information.
- Project Manager: We like organized people…who doesn’t? We are mounting our final push to the mid-terms with an aggressive Get Out The Vote strategy and messaging that centers women. Familiarity with the project management tool Notion would be great (but is not required)!
- Tech expertise: Our global helpdesk needs volunteers to help crack the tech code for a multitude of volunteers around the world. We need women with experience running large Zoom events, Facebook and Instagram Lives, and ease with various platform tools.
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Event Organizers: One of the best ways to build community and engagement is through thoughtful, well organized events. We have many other ideas on the docket.
| EVENTS |
We’re excited to present a career-oriented event for
young women growing their careers abroad: HER NEXT
The job market broke the rules. Entry-level roles are going to people with five years of experience. Companies aren't hiring. And if you're a young American woman building a career abroad, you're navigating all of it without the network you'd have back home.
12 women, ten industries, three sessions. Real talk on salary negotiation, burnout, imposter syndrome, and knowing when to walk away – plus why your vote matters more than you've been told. No panel. No script. Just the conversations you need.
There’s a special fourth room: a civics engagement room to help you navigate voter registration and ballot request - and if you’re all set, guidance on slamming that ballot!
Only 60 attendees so grab your seat now. Make sure the young women you know who are living abroad are aware of this great opportunity.
Sunday, October 11 from 6-8pm CET / 12-2pm ET.
GWC x Hispanic Caucus Facebook Live - Wednesday, September 30, 7pm CET / 1pm ET
GWC is teaming up with the Democrats Abroad Hispanic Caucus for a live conversation on key issues affecting the Latino population in the United States: Immigration, affordability, and the real possibilities of voter purges and ICE intimidation at the polls. Join us live on Facebook and Instagram.
The CAULDRON - after a several month hiatus, our monthly drop-in conversation is BACK! Sunday, September 27, 7pm CET / 1pm ET
This Cauldron will be a civics engagement conversation where we can not only discuss voting and our rights, but also the recent Supreme Court ruling that could limit access to mail in voting - what’s true and what’s intimidation.
Fuel Up for Democracy! with the Global Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Caucus - cooking demo and civic engagement event
Friday, September 4, 4pm CET / 10am ET
Who doesn’t love Asian food - the region with the most diverse cuisine on the planet?! This is an exclusive opportunity to learn both how to cook amazing Asian American and Pacific Islander comfort food such as kimchi quesadillas, sesame noodles and poke bowl - but also learn a thing or two about its cultural roots. We will also discuss issues about voting to get ready for the midterms!
Yes. We. Vote. GWC Scavenger Hunts
You know what’s as important as requesting your 2026 ballot? Well, nothing, but you know what’s more fun? Gamifying it.
Taking inspiration from the Mamdani campaign, the Global Women’s Caucus (GWC) is hosting a unique investigative campaign series across cities where Americans live and work and vote from a distance. YES WE VOTE is a team scavenger hunt that uses the streets, squares, and stories of each city to make the case for why your ballot matters.
The next scheduled events will be held in London on September 6th and The Hague, NL on September 26th. Join these celebrations of a city’s rich cultural and historical heritages - often tales of fascism or tyranny boldly met with resistance. To qualify, participants only need to have requested their 2026 ballot. If you haven’t yet or don't know how, we will have trained volunteers on hand to help you through it.
GWC Writing Workshop: BECAUSE WORDS MATTER
The GWC Writers’ Circle concluded in August after months of thoughtful writing, reflection, and lively exchange. We explored topics ranging from **democracy and voting rights to racism, Black history, women’s voices, identity, social justice, and the political challenges facing us today**.
What became especially clear was that writing and sharing our perspectives can be a form of action. Our discussions helped participants feel **more connected, more confident in their voices, and more motivated to support Democrats Abroad and become actively involved**. The Circle showed that each of us has something to contribute—and that our words can be a starting point for change.
STIRRING THE POT: The Dissident’s Kitchen
Our global feminist cookbook needs your amazing recipes!
When U.S. suffragists needed an unexpected weapon in their 72-year fight for the vote, they turned to the cookbook — using recipes to build community, raise funds, and smuggle politics onto the dinner table. That tradition is yours to continue.
We're collecting the recipes you make, bake, shake, mix, or defrost to nourish yourself and the people around you. From the earnest to the tongue-in-cheek, tell us what's on your table and the story behind it. Dishes, drinks, and the meaning they carry are all welcome.
CLICK HERE to submit your recipe(s).
| Put Your Money Where Your Ballot Is. |
You know what to do: check your registration, request your ballot, return it immediately, and make sure your friends do the same.
Now, if you're looking for another way to fight back, help us get more voters across the finish line.
The GWC is in full-court press mode through November 3. We´re creating content, mobilizing women abroad, and making sure people have the information and support they need to vote.
Give $25. Give $50. Give whatever you can.
Because apparently democracy requires both a ballot and a budget.
| Reproductive Justice |
The Reproductive Justice Team has been busy working to get messaging out to encourage women to register to vote. See our monthly report here.
If you are interested in joining our team, please email [email protected].
| We curate so you don’t have to |
There's so much this month.....
Letters From An American Heather Cox Richardson, August 26th. Dolly.
Is Ocasio-Cortez Ready for the Glass Cliff? Tressie McMillan Cottom, NYT. If you’ve cancelled your NYT subscription, lucky for you, here’s a gift article by one of their best op-ed writers. This is a brilliant woman writing about one of our most gifted politicians.
Chelsea Handler: I Don’t Hate Joe Rogan — But He Needs to Do Better Pivot Podcast with Kara Swisher. Chelsea is guest-hosting with Kara, and it’s an incredibly refreshing dialogue with two of my favorites.
You Don't Live in America Anymore. That's Exactly Why You Need to Vote Angela Fobbs, Substack. This is the best argument I’ve read/seen/heard about why you need to vote - even if, or especially if, you’re living abroad.The Barbie Backlash Susan Faludi, NYT. This is the article I’ve been waiting for. Faludi is a great writer, who deftly threads the needle between a cultural and political moment.
Tim Snyder on the “Tiny Infinitesimal Amount of Courage” We Need The Best People with Nicole Wallace. If the Trump years have brought us anything positive, it’s introducing us to this principle student of authoritarianism. He taught us all not to obey in advance. This conversation is inspiring and ultimately informs the needs to vote.The Wrong Kind Of American: The White House Needed Me – until the fact I am trans became public Julia Curlee, The Atlantic. This article is a must read. It encapsulates the inherent hypocrisy, cruelty and stupidity of this administration and the attack on transpeople. The sentence in particular stands out: Flailing regimes dehumanize minorities to distract from their failures.
Stoicism is the internet’s Roman Empire. Why? On with Kara Swisher. A double-header with Kara Swisher. I share this as a political palate cleanser. Stoicism helps me get through this mess.
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