In this issue:
- Take Action
- How to Vote, Where to Get Help
- Come Join Us — Upcoming Events
- Feature Article
- Meet Our People — Member Profile: Becki Fonteneau
- How to Volunteer Locally
- The Lighter Side of Democracy
Take Action
UPDATE: SAVE Act temporarily blocked in the Senate
There is encouraging news regarding the SAVE Act, the voter suppression bill
that could make it significantly harder for Americans abroad to vote.
On June 4, Senate Democrats successfully blocked the bill from advancing to the Senate floor during this legislative session. Senate Majority Whip John Thune has indicated that the bill is unlikely to move forward before November.
This is an important victory — but not the end of the story.
The SAVE Act, or similar legislation, could return in the future, and overseas Americans remain especially vulnerable to efforts that make voter registration and absentee voting more difficult.
For now, one of the most important things we can do is stay informed, stay connected, and help Americans abroad remain registered and prepared to vote in upcoming elections.
You can also continue contacting your senators to share your experiences as an American voter abroad and explain why protecting overseas voting access matters.
Every overseas vote matters — and every overseas voter we help strengthens democracy.
- Republican senators: remind them that Americans abroad pay taxes, serve their country, and deserve full voting rights.
- Democratic senators: share your personal story and explain why voting from abroad matters to you.
- WRITE THEM: Send an online message: Click here, choose your state (using the dropdown box or the map), then click contact under their photo.
- CALL THEM: Dial the US Capitol Switchboard free from your French phone: Dial 07.55.53.64.46, then ask for your senators by name.
How to Vote & Get Help
If you read nothing else, read this Challenges with La Poste mail to U.S.
Voting from abroad requires one important step every year: you must request your ballot annually. The easiest way to do this is through VoteFromAbroad.org.
For more information, or to volunteer, Contact DA Brittany’s Get-Out-The-Vote Coordinator, Martha LeCars.
From the Chair
“You’ve Got a Friend,” — Carole King
When you’re down and troubled and you need a helping hand…
If the sky above you should turn dark and full of clouds…
Keep your head together and call my name out loud now…
I’ll come running…
Ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend.
Carole King’s song reminds us that friends matter in difficult times like these — and especially for Americans living abroad.
Our chapter is definitely not “down and troubled,” but we always need “helping hands.” And there are many friends here in Brittany whom we can call on to join our efforts to protect democratic values, support one another, and help create positive change. Somewhere around 6,500 voting-age Americans live within the boundaries of the Brittany Chapter. Yet only about 8% of those potential voters are part of Democrats Abroad.
In this critical midterm election year, our chapter needs to “keep our heads together” and invite more of our fellow citizens to help us deliver important Democratic victories in November.
But how can we reach new members? Many of the people involved in our Brittany chapter today first connected through a simple conversation or an invitation to a welcoming gathering of like-minded people.
Consider inviting American friends to join us at one of our upcoming events. Reach out on social media to people you know — or who follow you. Our invitations and other messages are currently available on Facebook and Blue Sky.
We’d love to meet your friends. Chances are they’d love to meet us, too. And as our community continues to grow — and it will — it will be good for all of us to know that we’ve got friends.
— Gregory Sadlek, Brittany Chapter Chair
Come Join Us — Upcoming Events
You can always find both in-person and online events on the Democrats Abroad Brittany events page
June Events
June 10 — Angers | Take Back the Power Happy Hour (7-9 PM)
Please join us for our monthly Take Back Power Happy Hour, in yet another new venue! When you RSVP, we will send you an email to let you know where we are meeting. Our free social mixers are on the second Wednesday of the month from 7-9 PM. It's the perfect opportunity to unwind after a long day and meet new people! With delicious drinks and food available for purchase, you'll have plenty of chances to mingle with other Americans and make some new friends. This is not a fundraising event - it's all about building community.
While you're there, you can also get help registering to vote, learn how to navigate La Poste to return your ballots, and find out how you can help Take Back Power for the midterms. Don't miss out on this fantastic chance to connect and have fun!
We hope to see you there!
June 13 — Nantes | The Ultra Rich and Their Threat to Democracy (3 PM)
President Biden warned us that today, an oligarchy of extreme wealth, power, and influence is taking over our country, threatening our entire democracy, our fundamental rights and freedoms, and everyone's ability to build a better America.
Professor Marion Pineau, Professor at l’Unversité Permanente in Nantes, will explain in French how the Ultra-rich in the USA use their power to weaken and secede from our democracy. She will present her findings in French and engage in a discussion with you about the topic afterward.
Afterward, Democrats Abroad Brittany will present our activities and help and encourage you to register to vote including learning how to navigate La Poste to return your ballots. You can also learn about volunteering with us.
Featured Event — 4th of July
Join us in Rennes for a relaxed summer gathering with good food and even better company. Help shape what comes next for your Brittany community.
Potluck Contributors Tracker
We’ll also share ways to help Americans vote from abroad and stay involved beyond election season. All are welcome.
👉 More details & RSVP
Between now and November, gatherings like this help us stay connected, informed, and ready to act—together.
Join us at more upcoming events —
👉 See details for all Upcoming Events & RSVP
Member Profile: Becki Fonteneau
Getting to know the volunteers and members who make our chapter strong.
This month we are highlighting Becki Fonteneau, Brittany’s Chapter Secretary 
and an increasingly active member of our growing volunteer community.
Originally from Florida, Becki has been in France since 2019 and now lives near Nantes with her family, including her 5-year-old son. She is currently in the process of opening a café in Clisson — a project she jokes sometimes feels like “an endless renovation adventure.”
Becki learned about Democrats Abroad through the Knowing Nantes Facebook
group. And while relatively new to political volunteering, Becki has aready become very involved in Brittany— Loire West activities.
👉 Learn more about Becki and her work
Feature Article
What does this 250 year milestone mean? by Hilary Hodge
Not historically, but personally and collectively today? In anticipation of July 4.
250 Years After Independence: The Unfinished Work of Keeping Democracy Alive
Can checks and balances prevent a tyrannical group from seizing control of the U.S. government? What happens if those checks and balances fail?
Can groups of people establish a healthy, stable government founded on reflection and reason? Or are we forever doomed to fall into faction, division, and conflict?
Can a democracy survive when citizens stop believing in one another?
These are some of the most urgent questions facing the United States today — and yet they are as old as the republic itself. The authors of The Federalist Papers — Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison — wrestled with these same concerns as Americans debated whether to ratify the Constitution.
The three authors wrote their remarkable collection of 85 essays in just a few months between October 1787 and May 1788. In them, they argued in favor of creating a strong federal government that could preserve liberty while restraining tyranny.
The essays were directed toward Americans who were skeptical of centralized power and therefore opposed the Constitution, which they believed embodied it. A group of these critics later responded with their own essays called The Anti-Federalist Papers.
What if the founders’ greatest fears were never really resolved?
Continue Reading → 👉 The Unfinished Work of Keeping Democracy Alive
Brittany volunteers are helping build a stronger, more connected community for 2026 through outreach, voter support, communications, organizing, and teamwork. Behind every checkmark is a volunteer helping Americans abroad stay informed, connected, and engaged.
We have now completed all READY, SET, GO requirements — and we’re just getting started.
“First across the finish line.”
👉 See Brittany’s READY, SET, GO accomplishments and comments from DA France President Ronny Rubin
Protecting fair representation and voting rights
A recent piece by Robert Reich looks at how voting rights, representation, and political incentives intersect — and why Americans abroad have a stake in those conversations too.
How to Volunteer
If you’d like to help Americans abroad stay engaged, informed, and ready to vote, we invite you to join us. No prior experience is required — we provide training and guidance, and you can contribute in whatever way fits your schedule.
To get involved, e-mail our Volunteer Coordinators or fill out the DA France Volunteer Form. For more information about new Rennes Area volunteer opportunities — READ MORE 👉
The Lighter Side of Democracy 😁
A little joy from your community. Jokes, puns, music and more!
From Our Community — Recent Events
Rennes Fundraiser Luncheon
More than 20 members and friends gathered in Rennes for conversation, community building, voter outreach, and fundraising to support Democrats Abroad France Brittany activities.
Angers Take Back Power Happy Hour
Americans in Angers gathered for another welcoming evening of conversation, connection, and voter engagement as our monthly community events continue to grow.
👉 See photos and recaps from recent Brittany events
With Thanks to Our Contributors
This issue was created with the help of volunteers across Brittany and beyond. 👉 See who contributed for June
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