The Trump administration is attacking voting rights again - this time the rights of Americans abroad - through their plans to withdraw from the Universal Postal Union on October 16th. If the withdrawal goes forward, postal mail service to the United States will be thrown into disarray and the USPS expects postal service to and from the States to be massively disrupted.
This action will hit voters from abroad hard. Beyond the widespread, unprecedented disruption to personal, business and financial affairs that the withdrawal will create, voters abroad will not be able to return their ballots or ballot requests by standard postal mail.
Just consider - in 2018, 67% of ballots from abroad were returned by postal mail.
For more information on the impact of oppressing the overseas vote please read this post from DemList.com.
Call your Senators and your Representative and demand that they pressure the Trump administration to stop this nonsense now.
- Demand they push for the Trump administration to allow the uninterrupted flow of overseas mail to the US
- Remind them that your ability to vote depends on being able to get your overseas ballot back to the US on time, and that goes for everyone voting abroad in every state and district across the country.
- Consider including a personal story of your experience returning your overseas ballot, or other ways you depend on sending and receiving mail to and from the US.
Contact your governor and state legislators and ask them to step up to preserve your right to vote from abroad.
Whether you’re voting for President or town council members, the rules that determine how you can request, receive and return your ballot are decided at the state level. State legislation can make it harder for you to vote from abroad, or it can create a path around the mess that will be made by the Postal Union withdrawal.
1. Use this guide from Vote From Abroad to look up your state’s ballot delivery methods.
2a. If your state requires ballot requests and/or returns be sent by mail (and not email/online submission), contact your governor and state legislators.
- Ask that they push for legislation in 2020 which allows their military and civilians abroad to submit their absentee ballot requests (aka “FPCAs”) and overseas ballots by email or online submission.
2b. If your state allows ballot requests and/or returns to be done online or via email, consider letting your governor and state legislators know how much you appreciate these essential, modern solutions which ensure that you can easily and securely request and return your ballot. In order for these options to be maintained, it’s helpful for them to know why it matters to you!
Protect your right to vote!
- If you aren’t registered to vote yet and will vote in any of these states, register to vote as an overseas voter NOW -- before the UPU withdrawal.
Go to www.votefromabroad.org and click “start” to fill out your voter registration form and overseas absentee ballot request. Then mail it in ASAP.
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Idaho
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Democratically yours,
Steve Nardi
Chair, Democrats Abroad Canada