November 9, 2022, 10:00am Washington — U.S. and dual citizens watching election returns around the world are celebrating a historic midterm performance for the Democratic Party, the only party fighting for women’s rights, gun safety, racial and environmental justice, and democracy itself. Americans both at home and abroad have made it clear that they will not sit back while MAGA Republicans sow division and hate at the expense of our fellow citizens and our democracy.
“Overseas voters knew just how much was at stake this November—and they also knew that their ballots could make the difference in close elections,” says Candice Kerestan, International Chair of Democrats Abroad who cast her Pennsylvania ballot from Munich, Germany. In 2020, the number of overseas ballots returned was well within the margin of victory in two key states: in Georgia, 11,779 votes decided the outcome with 27,252 Georgians returning their ballots from outside the United States; in Arizona, 10,457 votes decided the outcome with 21,661 Arizonans abroad sending their ballots home.
As ballot counting continues in some states – including in Georgia and Arizona – the votes from abroad will likely play a decisive role. “We knew that many of these races would be tight. That’s why we worked relentlessly all year to get out the overseas vote,” Kerestan continued. In just the last week alone, Democrats Abroad volunteers phonebanked over 45,000 battleground voters around the world.
In this vein, we’d like to extend our deepest gratitude to our incredible volunteers, as well as the Democratic National Committee, especially Chair Jaime Harrison, for his vision, persistence, and unwavering support to ensure no stone was left unturned this November.