FINDING HOPE!  

"Hope is all we have. It is the essential spark that lights the fire of change. Hope is a choice." - First Lady Michelle Obama at the Opening of the Obama Presidential Center

Where are you finding hope right now? 

I found a little hope and a reminder that political leadership and humanity can indeed go together when I saw that clip of President Obama and Mayor Mamdani singing Wheels on the Bus and interacting on the classroom floor with the pre-schoolers in New York a few months ago. As refreshing as a cherry popsicle in this heat!

I'm in the States right now and wowee...The NY Knicks came back game after game to win the NBA Championship after 53 years! Their teamwork, focus, grace, determination, love and collective leadership. How beautiful! 

On the 18th of June I had 3 screens open on my laptop to watch Bafana Bafana (who made us so proud getting to the knockouts, the Knicks parade, and the opening of the Obama Presidential Center. Talk about cheers and tears! And Team USA are also certainly making us proud at the World Cup! But from the 18th I started to feel something strange stirring inside, something familiar but forgotten, an emotion I couldn't quite place....it was a newfound sense of hope....with a dash of American pride. What?! Now I find myself looking for more and wanting to share it. People are frustrated and fed up with so much here, a shot of humanity, hope and possibility is a welcome elixir! 

If you haven't watched the Opening of the Obama Presidential Center, let that be your 4th of July celebration! Seriously, it was such an incredible reminder of beautiful leadership, humanity, collaboration across diversity, and even a sense of humour ("the tan suit" appearances were the laughter we all needed).  

But First Lady Michelle Obama's Speech was everything, and everyone's been talking about it - Watch it! Getting together with friends this weekend? Watch it together. 

We The People can do this. We will do this! Take a little action every day. This 250th we encourage you to reach out to another US Citizen 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. And invite them to join DASA at www.democratsabroad.org/join. 

If you missed our June Newsletter, find it HERE 

If you missed our How To Vote From South Africa 2026 email, find the info HERE 

Thanks to all of you finding, sharing and acting on hope every day -
Liz O'Leary, DASA Chair 

From the NY Times 1 July 2026 

There is evidence of ELECTORAL HOPE all around! But hope requires action! 

Polls are very close in many local, state and federal races - ALL of these elections are critical to the direction our towns, cities and states take from November and some are essential to gaining control of the House and Senate!

Today's the day to start paying attention to what's happening in your voting state and ensure you are ready to vote!

SO MANY REASON'S TO VOTE! EVERY OFFICE POSSIBLE TO PROTECT OUR COUNTRY

🌊🗳️💪 TRUMP IS LOSING BIG IN COURT, IN CONGRESS, AND AT THE BALLOT BOX

Recent days have seen Trump’s efforts to interfere with U.S. elections stopped cold by the courts, and flounder in Congress. Republican attempts to advance the so-called SAVE Act or SAVE America Act, which would disenfranchise millions of perfectly legitimate voters, stalled in the Senate, and efforts to revive it in the House by appending it to must-pass legislation have also stalled. (Want notifications when important bills are moving through Congress? Sign up to TAKE ACTION with Democrats Abroad, here!) Federal courts ruled against Trump’s executive orders on elections, blocking him from imposing unnecessary ID requirements and blocking him from weaponizing the US Postal Service to determine who gets a mailed ballot and who doesn’t. Federal judges—and yes, even this broken Supreme Court—have reaffirmed that election administration remains the job of Congress and the states, not subject to unilateral actions by the President. 

Democrats have flipped 30 state legislative seats since Trump's return to office while Republicans have flipped none.

Democratic enthusiasm is translating into record-breaking candidate recruitment, with Democrats fielding candidates in more districts than they have in decades. As Trump and the GOP’s opinion poll numbers drop, Democrats are working to take back control not only the House but also to retake the Senate.

Democrats must win state elections to block the GOP from imposing state-level SAVE Act-type voter restrictions, to restore Black and minority voting rights, to stop the endless assault on bodily autonomy.

Democracy itself is once again on the ballot this year and many races will be decided by narrow margins—the overseas vote is more important than ever.

VOTER ALERTS

ALL VOTERS: RECEIVE YOUR BALLOTS BY EMAIL! 

Make Sure to select "Receive Ballot by Email" when you request your ballots using the FPCA (using Vote From Abroad or other mechansims). You do not want to be waiting outside your door for your ballot to arrive in September. All states can send you your ballots by email but you MUST request that on the form! 

FLORIDA VOTERS: ACT NOW 

Check your voter status on your county website to ensure your ballot request is valid! Democrats Abroad Global sent emails out to all Florida voters on June 2nd - please see that email for further info. 

FL can cancel ballot requests up to 90 days before an election if a voter doesn't respond to mailed verification request. Please check to ensure yours hasn't been cancelled! Know other FL voters abroad? Share the info with them! 

A Dems Abroad volunteer made this spreadsheet of all Florida Election Offices (**Yay for volunteers!) 

GEORGIA VOTERS - Congressional District 13
New Special Election 28 July  

See info at www.votefromabroad.org/states/Georgia

VOTE TO WIN IN 2026!

RESISTANCE & ACTIONS

Set some time aside each day of the 17-19th of July. Their theme this year is Teach, Reach, Preach. We'll share ideas of things we can do from South Africa. Let us know if you have ideas for activities or actions we can share, or if you'd like to host a few people for an activity in your corner of the country that weekend. We may not send postcards via the mail in South Africa, but we can send them digitally! 

We know many are traveling in the US right now too, you can find local events to participate in. Further info at https://www.goodtroubleliveson.org/ 

MEMBER TO MEMBER

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:  These are suggestions shared by members, highlighted at our recent Living Across Borders discussion on Zoom. They are in response to commonly asked questions so we hope you'll find them useful, but please remember, they are Member Recommended, not DASA. 

Liz O'Leary shared info on using Wise to transfer money, bank to bank, between US and SA easily, quickly and affordably. She mentioned that Democrats Abroad also uses Wise for its international payments (though this is not an endorsement!) Another member in Kenya also shared that she's been happily using Wise for a few years, for both personal and business transactions, and uses their multi-currency accounts and cards too! More info at www.wise.com 

Tanya Goodman and other members recommend Tello. This seems to be a great option for those of us who need to have a US telephone number to make calls to US landlines, including 800 numbers and for Two-Factor Authentication which is increasingly being required for secure transactions. Tanya wrote up some notes for the session. We'll share them in the WhatsApp group or you can email [email protected] and we'll be happy to share them. More info at https://tello.com/

Iffy Ezeh shared that she's being using Google Voice - so that's another option to look into! 

ON SOCIAL SECURITY - In last month's newsletter we shared a couple of solutions members had suggested for contacting the Social Security Administration for assistance, particularly with ensuring you receive and submit your "proof of life" form SSA 7162 to ensure continuous flow of Social Security payments. 

Susan M. Cashin has continued to look for more info and solutions and shared an update! You can find some new info and contact details for customers living outside the country on the Social Security Administration's website HERE.

Susan called that office to test it and get further info (she experienced GREAT service!) and has added some helpful info to the information found on their website HERE. 

FUN FACT - Art Schankler, the Chair of the Global Seniors Caucus attended our discussion to learn from us! 

Have a solution related to a common Social Security question/problem? Let Susan know [email protected] 

Please note that Democrats Abroad does not provide legal advice or direct assistance. This information is only an outline of the process and authorities you must follow and contact, along with suggestions from members.

EVENTS

FRIDAY 3 JULY, 11:00am SA Time and bi-weekly 

Abroad & Informed is Democrat Abroad's bi-weekly live show for Americans around the world who want clarity, connection, and a global perspective on the issues shaping our lives. Each week, we bring you news, conversations, and voting guidance designed to keep you grounded in what matters — no matter where you call home. Stay informed. Get engaged. Make your voice count from anywhere. 

Join the conversation by following our Live on:
(Hover over the platform name for direct links)

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More events to come soon...in the meantime, a few photos from recent events! 

Thanks so much to Stef Coyle for sharing her time and ACLU insights, to Nancy Krisch for the idea, Robin Perros for hosting it, Gail Snetro for sharing voter info (GOTV), and all who participated and brought tasty treats to share! 

WORLD CUP - Thanks to Tiffany Jackson and Cristianne Wendler for organising this meetup, and all who came to cheer on Team USA. 

VOLUNTEER

We're building our volunteer teams! Whatever your skills, interests and experience there is an opportunity for you. Contact Liz at [email protected] 

PLEASE CONNECT TO STAY UPDATED & SHARE!

US Citizens in South Africa are invited to get in touch and get involved, contact us at [email protected]

Facebook 

Instagram 

If you see Steve Barak on the Sea Point Promenade, say hello and let him know you've requested your ballot! 

HELP US FIND US VOTERS IN SOUTH AFRICA! 

You can help us find and mobilize US voters across South Africa this year by reaching out to your networks, volunteering or making a financial contribution.

Let us know if you'd like to volunteer by emailing us at [email protected]. Click the button below to donate

Thank you - 

Democrats Abroad South Africa 
[email protected]