I voted

Top 5 reasons for US expats to register and vote!

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We are in the middle of Armed Forces Voters Week and Overseas Citizens Voters Week, which is running until July 5th! The Federal Voting Assistance Programme (FVAP), has organised these events as a way to encourage Americans living abroad, to not only register to vote but also to request their absentee ballot.

With these events happening, and an estimated 9 million American citizens living abroad I thought it would be the perfect time to explore a few reasons why overseas voting is so important. Greenbank tax service conducted a survey of nearly 4000 expat in 2018 and found that  the majority of those did not feel that expat interests were being fairly represented in the US, and that 63.7% of them were intending to vote in the next election.  If 64.7% of 9 million people voted that would be over 5.7 million votes! That is certainly something worth promoting.

Why is voting important?

Voting is more important than ever right now, with the American population divided virtually in half, it might be the very thing that sways the final election figures.  For example, in the last presidential election, there was only a 3.8% difference between the two candidates, with Hilary Clinton having 48% of the popular vote and Donald Trump having 45.9%.  In the 2016 election there were many states which were too close to call, including many swing states, and according to the Greenbank website, overseas votes would be likely to make a big difference in these examples.

Here were the numbers for those ‘too close to call’ states from the 2016 election (take directly from the Greenbank website) that show how closely we are voting to the 50% line.

  • New Hampshire was won by 2,701 – Democratic
  • Michigan was won by 13,080 votes – Republican
  • Maine was won by 19,995 votes – Democratic
  • Nevada was won by 26,434 votes – Democratic
  • Wisconsin was won by 27,257 votes – Republican
  • Minnesota was won by 44,470 votes – Democratic
  • Pennsylvania was won by 68,236 votes – Republican
  • Arizona was won by 91,682 votes – Republican
  • Florida was won by 114,455 votes – Republican
  • North Carolina was won by 177,009 votes – Republican

The bottom line is that as Americans living abroad, who are still tax responsible, we have a duty to vote because it does affect us here now and it affects our futures.

Top 5 reasons to vote

  • It is your responsibility as an American citizen to exercise your right to vote.
  • It helps you feel connected to the country you once called home!
  • If you decide to go back, it is important that you continue to participate in the dialogue that shapes the future of the US.
  • If you aren’t going back, you are still likely to be affected by things like immigration laws, visa changes, and our children’s right to citizenship.
  • As long as the US enforces double taxation, you have a right to participate in the conversations about how that money is spent.

How to register for online voting

It is so easy! follow this link, which will take you to the vote from abroad website, and you can not only register to vote, but request your email ballot at the same time!

You should receive your ballot 45 days before the next election.

 

Happy voting!

Jamie xx