The Democratic Party is making a first-time investment in registering and turning out voters living outside of the United States. The party is estimating that some 1.6 million Americans abroad are from crucial battleground states this cycle. The Democratic National Committee is investing $300,000 to reach voters outside the country — military and non-military with the main Democratic group in charge of registering and assisting non-military voters outside the U.S. with their mail-in ballots. Non-military American voters who live outside the U.S. include those out of the country for business, students spending a semester abroad, and “digital nomads” who are able to work remotely wherever they want.
While experts and operatives say the transient nature of voting-age ex-pats makes it difficult to track, the latest government data from the 2020 presidential election found that 2 million are either on active duty or are military spouses and dependents and that 2.9 million are non-military voting-age U.S. citizens. Of the nearly 5 million voting-age residents and military living abroad, 1.25 million registered to vote in 2020. According to the DNC, more than 1.62 million voters abroad are from the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The turnout for non-military voters living outside the U.S. in the 2020 presidential election and the 2022 Congressional midterms was significantly lower than that of military voters.
Democrats overseas have seen a surge in voter registration and ballot requests since Vice President Kamala Harris became a candidate. Political leanings among Americans abroad vary by country, but they tend to lean Democratic for the most part. The DNC’s investment can help with digital outreach and mobilizing voters in areas with a large number of American citizens, such as Canada. The right for overseas ballots to be counted by every state is protected under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) passed in 1967, ensuring that their voices are heard in U.S. elections.
Having an infrastructure in place to educate voters on how and when to cast their vote is crucial for overseas voters. Democrats Abroad focuses on finding newer voters through their organizations on the ground in 190 countries. In 2020, about 40% of states required overseas ballots to be received by election day, while 60% had deadlines after election day but had to be postmarked by then. The low turnout for U.S. citizens abroad is mainly due to lack of awareness about their voting rights. The DNC’s investment in digital outreach can help reach more Americans living abroad and encourage them to participate in the electoral process.
The overseas absentee ballots have been decisive in past elections, with many races being determined by a small margin that could be influenced by votes from Americans living abroad. The technical aspects of returning ballots vary from state to state, with overseas citizens primarily using email while uniformed services voters commonly send their ballots back by mail. States like Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin require ballots to be sent back via mail, which can be challenging in countries without a reliable postal system. It is crucial for voters abroad to send their ballots early to ensure they are counted in time for the election. The DNC’s investment in reaching out to Americans living abroad can help ensure their voices are heard in U.S. elections.
