Thousands joined in the first day of global primary voting with Democrats Abroad, with in-person turnout up 50% over 2016.
Super Tuesday marked the first day of voting for Democrats Abroad’s Global Presidential Primary, as Americans around the world cast their ballot to help decide the next Democratic presidential candidate. In total, locations in over 40 countries will host polling centers. 30 of these countries joined in on Super Tuesday, with voting taking place in:
|
Austria Belgium Canada Costa Rica Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece |
Guatemala Hong Kong Ireland Israel Italy Luxembourg Mexico Netherlands Panama |
Peru Russia Spain Sweden Switzerland Thailand Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom |
More than 13 thousand Americans have successfully cast their ballots in early voting and in Super Tuesday polling stations abroad so far this year. Just over half of all votes have come in via remote voting, which has been available since February 18.
The Democrats Abroad team in Berlin, Germany hosted the largest turnout abroad on Super Tuesday, as voters poured into their center to cast 536 successful ballots. London, UK also saw a large turnout with 504 valid ballots cast.
This is the first day of voting for Democrats Abroad, with events running throughout the week, particularly over the weekend, totaling 240+ voting centers and ballot assistance events in over 40 countries. Democrats Abroad saw an increase of nearly 50% in in-person voting, from 2016 to 2020.
“I'm proud of our teams and grateful for their tremendous preparation and effort which has made in-person primary voting a reality for thousands of Americans abroad today. It’s important that our voters know they have a voice in who will be the Democratic Party’s next presidential candidate,” said Julia Bryan, Global Chair, Democrats Abroad.
Americans abroad have through March 10 to participate in the Global Presidential Primary.
Covid-19 Update
While the spread of Covid-19 may encourage some voters to opt for remote voting options, this has not had a significant impact in plans for voting centers.
“It’s possible we’ll see an increase in remote voting as a result of Covid-19. In impacted locations, some of our teams are now shifting towards helping voters cast their ballots remotely, but everyone has worked hard to put together these in-person opportunities, and we’re pleased to see such a strong turnout on day one, as a result” explained Amanda Mohar, Global Communications Director, Democrats Abroad. “We want to ensure that we keep our primary as accessible as possible while ensuring that the health of our members remains a top priority. Through our remote ballot options, voting will still be available, no matter what.”
Democrats Abroad is closely monitoring the situation, tracking local government response and guidance and keeping voters, campaign teams and the DNC updated. As of March 3, closures have impacted voting centers in China and South Korea, and in limited locations in Italy. Some activities have also been canceled in Paris and replaced by ballot assistance events, and schedules of some activities in UAE had to shift as well. Voters are encouraged to check democratsabroad.org for the latest updates, and should reach out to local leadership with any related questions.
Key Dates:
- 3-10 March 2020: Democrats Abroad Global Presidential Primary in-person voting
- 10 March 2020: Remote ballots due
- 23 March 2020: Global Presidential Primary results announced
- 16 May 2020: Democrats Abroad Global Convention
- 13-16 July 2020: Democratic National Convention
- 3 November, 2020: United States Presidential Election
####
Democrats Abroad is the official organization of the Democratic Party for United States citizens living permanently or temporarily abroad. The organization is given state-level recognition by the Democratic National Committee, with eight positions on the Democratic National Committee, and sends a voting delegation to the Democratic National Convention to select our presidential candidate. For more information, visit democratsabroad.org/2020_press_kit.
Photo: Democrats Abroad Global Presidential Primary Voting Center in Amsterdam