What to Do Wednesday 
Your Weekly Guide to Staying Politically Active—From Abroad

Wednesday 24 June 2026

This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about hope.

Listening to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama speak at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, I was struck by a simple but powerful idea: hope is not just an emotion, it’s a choice and it’s an action. These are hard, trying times. Many of us are tired, worried, or frustrated by what we see in our politics and in our world. But as the Obamas reminded us, hope isn’t naïve optimism; it’s the decision to keep showing up, to keep building, to keep believing that our efforts matter.

We, as Democrats Abroad, know this better than most. We have hope – and we have commitment – on our side. Now it’s time to translate that hope into concrete action.

This Wednesday, here’s what you can do:

• Listen, be inspired, then act.
  Take a few minutes this week to listen to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s speeches from the opening of the Obama Presidential Center. Let their words on hope, resilience, and responsibility renew your energy—then channel that inspiration directly into requesting your ballot, checking registrations, and talking to others.
• Request your ballot now.
  If you haven’t already, go to https://votefromabroard.org and submit your overseas ballot request right away. Don’t wait for deadlines. Every day we delay, we give up precious organizing time.
• Follow up with your family.
  Ask your family and friends, both abroad and back home, to confirm their voter registration. Encourage them to update addresses, party affiliation, and absentee status where needed.
• Activate your networks.
  Reach out to three fellow Americans this week, friends, colleagues, neighbors. Ask a simple question: “Have you requested your ballot yet?” and share the steps if they haven’t. You are the best and most trusted ambassador for voting; people listen to people they know. Your voice is one of the most effective ways to spread the word and move others from hope to action.
• Don’t sit this one out.
  Our votes from abroad have decided races before. In a close election, every overseas ballot can be the difference between moving forward and turning back.

Hope is what we feel when we imagine a better future; action is how we make that future possible. When President and First Lady Obama talk about hope, they’re really talking about responsibility, our responsibility, to keep working, organizing, and voting even when the path is steep. When leaders celebrate hard-won victories at home, they’re reminding us that belief plus effort can change outcomes.

So this week, I’m choosing hope. I’m choosing action. I’m choosing to believe that the work we do, from every corner of Italy and across the globe, will help deliver the most Democratic votes possible this November.

Let’s turn hope into votes and votes into change.

And I’ll close with the words Michelle Obama shared at the Obama Presidential Center:

“Hope is all we have, because hope is the essential spark that lights the fire of change. But hope is a choice. Whether or not we use our voices to speak up is a choice. Voting is a choice. Being a decent human being is a choice. Believing that we still hold the power to build a country that reflects us all is a choice.”

With gratitude and determination,
Leyani Redditi
Chair
Democrats Abroad Italy

Democrats Abroad Italy Events

US Citizen in Abruzzo?  Join us for an  Aperitivo in Abruzzo! 3 July at 17:00

Let's celebrate America together! Fourth of July BBQ & Lake Party - Celebrate America's 250th!

Join our DA Italy leadership team at our DA Italy Monthly Country Committee Meeting July 10 @09:00

Be the reason a US Citizen is able to cast their ballots! Train to become a Voting Assistant Volunteer!

• Module 1: Voter Registration & Ballot Request Wednesday 15 July @18:00
• Module 1: Voter Registration & Ballot Request Saturday 1 August @10:00
• Module 1: Voter Registration & Ballot Request Wednesday 5 August @18:00
• Module 2: Ballot Receipt & Return Saturday 5 September @10:00
• Module 2: Ballot Receipt & Return Wednesday 9 September @18:00

Global Democrats Abroad Events

Join Democrats Abroad Germany  on Saturday, September 26, in Munich for the Annual Democrats Abroad Oktoberfest Extravaganza! Democrats Abroad Oktoberfest 2026

P.S. Here we are again asking you to request your ballot now at VoteFromAbroad.orgif you haven't done so already! If you need any help with the form or aren’t sure what to do, click below to send us an email and we’ll walk you through it. And if you’ve already requested your ballot, click the button below and tell us so we can count you toward our goal. Help us get at least 25% of Dems Abroad Italy members ballot‑ready by the end of June!