Since the concerns of ex-pats tend to be different from our compatriots who still live in the US, it is important for us to be invovled in the political process. We cannot sit idly on the sidelines and wait for someone else to interest in us. We need to motivate people other ex-pats to vote and to make our state and congressional representatives aware of our existence and of our concerns. We, too, have a voice and it needs to be recognized and heard.