Have you voted? Don't wait 'til it's late. Vote Now

Imagine your ballot...looking good and filled with hope, anger, power and determination...flying via plane or the magical electronic expressway...meeting other ballots from across South Africa, across the continent, around the world, joining up, weathering the turbulence, building momentum and power in numbers and in the strength of the message we're sending...they're off....soon arriving in the States and meeting up with other ballots of voters from across the country....there is power in each ballot and together we can effect change! Let's vote like lives depend on us, democracy depends on us, South Africa and our relationships with the world depend on us! Because they do. If you do one thing, vote.

If you've already voted, great! Send us a photo or video to share if you'd like. 

• Track your ballot to ensure it arrives and is accepted 
  Your Local Election Official may have sent you a link or use the contact info available via https://www.votefromabroad.org/states 
  
  
• Reach out to others and ask them if they've voted or need any help. 

If you've requested your ballot, but haven't received it yet, check your spam and promotions folders first, then contact your local election official. Their contact details should be on the info you received when you requested it through Vote from Abroad or you can find it at https://www.votefromabroad.org/states

The devils are already in the White House, so fight them with the details. Take the time to read carefully and follow the details to ensure your FPCA and ballot are submitted accurately and accepted. 

If you're just getting started (Do it now!) Request your ballot and check your state-specific details at www.votefromabroad.org. Then return it as soon as you receive it. About half the states still make us send our ballots back by snail mail. Snails swim slowly, as do the Consulate Diplomatic Pouches, so we've reached our strongly suggested deadlines for using the Consulate and encourage you to now use a courier.  

October Update 

We are in full swing now. We've held a number of events in the past month, including 5 in-person and online events last week as we seek to build momentum and mobilise voters to get their ballots in early. We had meet-ups near the US Consulates in Cape Town and Joburg, regional online voter support, our Ten Tuesdays to Get Out The Vote Take Action Sessions, our latest Living Across Borders session - this one on Insurance and Wills with Gradidge-Mahura, and an American BBQ hosted by Mary Harris at her home in Hyde Park to bring voters together and particularly to rally for Keisha Lance Bottoms for Governor of Georgia.  

Through October we'll have fewer events but encourage you to play your part by checking in with family and friends to see if they've voted or need any help, and helping us find and reach potential voters across the country. Go through your contact lists, LinkedIn networks, WhatsApp and Facebook groups etc. There are anywhere between 3 and 9 million voters abroad - our votes can truly make a difference! We'll share more resources and actions during the month. But as you are likely hearing all around, it's People Power that will win these elections! And WE are The People. A Blue Wave will only happen if we all vote! 

Democrats Abroad is holding a Global Call-a-thon this weekend - watch an online training video and contribute a couple of hours to help Get Out The Vote if you can. Full info below. 

DASA and Democrats Abroad Global have Vote From Abroad ads running across Google platforms including Gmail and Youtube. These seem to be working well in finding voters across South Africa. 

To our many New Members, a very warm welcome! It's peak voting season so we're focused directly on voting right now, jump on in and let us know if you'd like to get involved. We look forward to getting to know you over the coming months! 

If you missed our September Newsletter, find it HERE 

Find our How To Vote From South Africa 2026 info HERE 

Democrats Abroad is a volunteer-led organisation, with the only paid employee being the Global Executive Director. Absolutely everything else is run by volunteers all around the world. It's inspiring, interesting and fun to work with so many people working toward the country we know it should be! 

A HUGE THANK YOU to the many Democrats Abroad Volunteers who make things happen here. It's been a hectic couple of years and your ongoing support is greatly appreciated! 

It's going to take People Power, and WE are The People

We need volunteers to help with outreach! Please get in touch if you can share your skills and a little time. There's something for everyone! Email Liz at  [email protected] 

Please reach out to other US Citizens in SA, particularly if they're new to the country and may not yet know how to vote from abroad. Encourage them to go to www.votefromabroad.org to find their state-specific info and request their ballots. Invite them to join DASA at www.democratsabroad.org/join. And share How To Vote From South Africa with them for detailed info. 

Let us know if you'd like to join our WhatsApp group for US Citizens in SA. for more regular updates, news, inspiration and camaraderie.

Follow us and share our posts on Facebook and Instagram

We’ve all heard from people who say they’re not going to vote this year. We know how important every vote is and we remember that 90 million eligible voters didn’t vote in 2024. In this week's Ten Tuesdays, hosted by Oman, we looked at conversation starters and questions to ask as we engage with potential voters. The graphic above was shared and has some useful suggestions. 

Take A Look at this State by State summary of critical elections and reasons to vote in each state. This may also come in handy when you're talking with friends and family.  

VOTER ASSISTANCE 

EVENTS

September Highlight: American BBQ hosted by Mary Harris 

This was an incredible afternoon with old friends and new, delicious home cooking including Peach Cobbler, the sounds (and sing a long) of Georgia on My Mind, and ballots being requested and printed, while we encouraged voters to action and rallied for Keisha Lance Bottoms for Governor of Georgia. We worked with her campaign team and even had video messages from Carl Ware, who is actively supporting her in Georgia, and Mayor Bottoms herself!

Great thanks to Mary Harris – our gracious host and stalwart Georgia voter, for hosting this BBQ and welcoming us all to her beautiful home. 

Thanks to Keisha Lance Bottoms and her Campaign team; Carl Ware for all the work he’s doing to support Keisha’s campaign and inspire us; Brad Jackson and Michael Sudarkasa for their roles on the event committee, Mary Lee Joshua for assistance with event videos, Martin O. for our sound setup, Barbara Ludman with voter assistance, Daisy Jayrajh who helped with set up and Vegetarian dishes, and all of Mary’s team. Special thanks to Stuart Carley who made a donation to DASA toward event expenses. And thanks to all of you who joined us!
 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Friday 2 Oct – Sunday 4 Oct

Dialing for Democracy 2026

Call The World - Democrats Abroad is holding a phonebanking marathon this weekend! Help us contact members around the world. Even an hour or two would be a huge help. 💙

2 am - 2 pm Eastern /8am – 8pm SA Time

More Info + RSVP: https://www.democratsabroad.org/dialing_for_democracy_2026

Watch a training video in advance to make calls using our Call Hub system

https://www.democratsabroad.org/phonebanking_training

LIVE HELP IS AVAILABLE - As noted above, there are several Help Desk sessions October, but please seek help NOW. We can't take any chances this year! 

Visit the Vote From Abroad Voter Support Page HERE 

TEN TUESDAYS - Launched in Sept - Tuesdays until Election Day!

We have built on our Take Action Tuesdays and are now collaborating with countries across Africa and the Gulf on Ten Tuesdays to Get Out the Vote. 

These are weekly, 30 minute Take Action sessions aimed at leveraging our networks to find and mobilise voters in our regions. 7:30-8pm South African time on zoom. 

While they still send handwritten postcards by snail mail, knock on doors and put up lawn signs in the States, much of our outreach is digital and we can quickly leverage our personal contacts and networks to reach others...if we take a few minutes to do it!  We’ll do a quick intro to the day’s action, share related resources and then spend the bulk of the time getting it done.

More Info + RSVP for upcoming Tuesdays HERE 

Wednesday 14 October - 7pm SA Time 

Come join our Europe, Middle East and Africa regional trivia night - to take a breather from the craziness of the election season and recharge with friends and colleagues from across the region.

More Info + RSVP HERE 

Special thanks also to MT in Cape Town for her generous donation to our voter outreach efforts. While we are volunteer driven, we do have general administrative costs and your support right now can assist us to expand the Voter Outreach needed for these Midterms! 

Thank you - 

Democrats Abroad South Africa 
[email protected]