Cross-posted from the Flophouse. Your mileage may vary on this one. After I posted it I thought of at least two reasons some folks should not try to vote in the 2012 election: Accidental Americans who do not acknowledge that the US has sovereignty over them and those who are in the process of renouncing/relinquishing. But for everyone else, I wanted to reply to all the reasons I’ve listened to over the years for not voting in U.S. elections – reasons that frankly just don’t make much sense anymore. In particular this strange idea that we may have a legal right to vote there but not a moral one. Huh? If the U.S. is going to try to hold us to obligations of U.S. citizenship in our host countries, then we should have our say too even if our interests are at odds with those of the homelanders. And if they don’t like that then they should keep their hands and their laws well within the boundaries of the U.S.
A few days ago I tried to make a contribution to a political campaign in the U.S. and was stymied by their on-line software that didn’t like my foreign address and wouldn’t take my home phone number (French format + 33 1…). If this had happened a few years ago I probably would have given up in disgust but this time around I decided I wasn’t going to let it go. So I wrote them an email and I explained that I was one of millions of Americans abroad and gently proposed that they look at their software and make it more expat-friendly. In the meantime I asked for a workaround so that I could send them money and participate in the American political process just like Americans in the homeland.
To their credit they got right back to me and started working on a fix. But one email from a staff member set me back on my heels. He thanked me for my support but said that in his travels he had met communities of Americans abroad and his experience was that none of them ever showed any interest in voting in the U.S. much less in making a contribution to a campaign.
Let’s be honest and admit that there is some truth to what he said. The reasons vary but, yes, out of the estimated 6-7 millions Americans abroad only a small percentage ever cast votes. The Overseas Vote Foundation has this excellent report from 2010 which attempted to analyze the number of Americans abroad who are eligible to vote and how many actually succeeded in the 2008 election. Their conclusion?
If voter turnout is defined as the number of people who attempted to vote (total ballots submitted for counting or 273,408) divided by the total population (approximately 4 million), approximately 6.8 percent of the overseas civilian population attempted to participate and were successful in doing so.
That’s pathetic. But does this indicate a lack of interest or outright disenfranchisement? Both. Once an expatriate has been abroad for 10, 15, 20 years he/she may no longer be particularly well-informed about local politics (remember that Americans abroad vote from the U.S. state where they last resided regardless of how many years they’ve been abroad). Then there is the matter of the rather byzantine procedures that U.S. states had for overseas voters that made registering and casting a ballot in the U.S. from abroad complex and rather painful. Interest wanes when confronted with a process that is not terribly friendly and hard to understand. To add insult to injury, many of those who did navigate the process in 2008 saw their ballots rejected. And finally, there is one group of Americans citizens abroad who actually are unable to vote at all in many cases in the U.S.: American citizens born abroad and living abroad. That’s right, not all U.S. states allow them to vote at all even though these U.S. citizens are required to pay U.S. taxes and could be liable for a military draft. Homelanders can bluster all they want about getting Americans abroad to “pay their faire share in taxes,” but this is flat-out taxation without any representation and I fail to see on what planet this constitutes “fair.”
All this is very disheartening but there are some blue skies on the horizon and, I think, some very good reasons for Americans abroad to vote in 2012. Here are my responses to some of the rationales I’ve heard from my compatriots abroad for not voting in U.S. elections. If you have a problem with my reasoning, please feel free to disagree. This is a topic worth debating.
They’ll find me: Many Americans abroad are struggling with the compliance dilemma. As people become aware of the U.S. tax and reporting requirements, and realize that they are potentially in a lot of trouble, they are afraid to vote because they think that by doing so this will give the U.S. government (the IRS) a heads-up. My .02 on this is that, with FATCA coming on-line in 2013, they will find you in any case with the help of your host country. I suppose it is possible to do a deep-dive: close your bank accounts, transfer your money to a spouse, live on cash, give up your career/business and hide in a rural area, let your U.S. passport lapse and avoid the local U.S. Embassy as if it were plague-infested territory and so on. Some people will undoubtedly go that route but, personally, I don’t find any of that to be terribly congenial. I respectfully suggest that the time for sticking our heads in the sand and hoping we will be left alone has come and gone, my friends. So instead of limiting our options, let’s expand them by registering to vote, casting our ballots and raising an unholy stink if the states try to disenfranchise us.
Local politicians in the U.S. don’t care about my overseas vote: Maybe we need to start giving them a reason to care. Look, if we have any hope of getting some of this nonsense corrected, we must start flexing our muscles and showing the homelanders that not only do we care, but we will vote and punish local politicians that don’t take our interests into account. The staff of the political campaign I mentioned in a previous paragraph is now aware that there is a strange middle-aged American lady in Versailles, France who is not only registered to vote (and wants to vote for their candidate) but cares enough to throw some cash their way. If enough of us do this, we can raise awareness and get our issues on the agenda. Local politicians in the U.S. may not understand why so many of us live abroad but they do understand two basic things: dollars and votes (in that order). If we can start speaking their language, perhaps we will finally get some traction for the things we care about.
My vote won’t count because there are too few of us voting from abroad: Yes, the system is stacked against us in some ways since we have to vote in the last state we resided in and some say we lack effective representation. But instead of moaning about how ridiculous this is, let’s look at the opportunities inherent in this rather perverse situation. Many elections these days in the U.S. are decided by an incredibly small margin. Have a look at this video produced by Democrats Abroad:
In all these races just a few votes made the difference. This means that even a small number of votes from abroad could have some serious consequences for the U.S. political scene in 2012. And think how much fun it would be if in 2012 the expat vote turned a few key races in the U.S. around and made some of those U.S. politicians that have been maligning us from their cushy Washington offices into very unhappy ex-senators and representatives.
I’ve tried to vote in the past from abroad and it’s just too darn complicated: Meet the 2009 MOVE Act (Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act). It is now much easier to vote from abroad. How easy? Well, I tested it using this fine on-line overseas voter registration tool provided by the Overseas Vote Foundation and it was a no-brainer. Took me less than 15 minutes and a trip to my local post office. I was rewarded just a few weeks later when I received my official voter registration card from King County Elections in Renton, Washington, USA. Since then I have also received follow-up material asking me, among other things, if I would prefer to vote on-line or via mail (paper absentee ballot) from the comfort of my home here in Versailles, France. Not too shabby. So give it a shot and, if you are so inclined, think about making a contribution to the Overseas Vote Foundation. This is a non-partisan foundation that is devoted to one thing – making it possible for Americans abroad to vote in U.S. elections. They are good folks and deserve support for their efforts.
Last comment and this is a tough one that I’ve struggled with for years. Given that we do not live in the U.S. and many of us haven’t darkened the doors of our supposed “states of residence” for years, is it moral for us to cast votes in local elections. After all, for the most part, we are not subject to the consequences of that vote. Obamacare could be overturned tomorrow, U.S. Social Security could be privatized in a few years, Federal money flowing to the states could be cut off or reduced, and the impact on me personally would be zero. I derive no benefits from any of the above though I do have family stateside that does depend on these things.
After a lot of reflection, this is my answer: If the United States of America is going to exert its sovereignty over us by requiring us to pay taxes and file reams of paperwork from abroad in order to comply with a byzantine tax code and onerous reporting requirements voted into law by those local politicians then, yes, Americans abroad have every right to vote in U.S. elections. Granted, our interests may diverge substantially from homelanders’ interests but that fundamentally changes nothing.
We are U.S. citizens and if we are going to held to what they consider to be the responsibilities of that citizenship then we have the legal and moral right to get into the political game and vote for things we care about and for politicians who will advance our interests which are just as valid and important as any homelander’s interests even if we haven’t set one foot in the U.S. in the last 40 years. End of story.
Give me a way to register without having to pay money to mail things and give me a way to vote in a way that California doesn’t think that it has the right to tax me.
I see your point, Dan. Those folks down in Lotus Land need to get with the program. Except for the initial ballot request everything that has come to me from King County Elections that requires a response on my part has included an pre-addressed envelope with the international postage already paid.
As an Italian citizen I have the option to vote in Italian national, regional and local elections, even whilst resident in Belgium, in a ‘commune of origin’, which is similar to how Swiss laws works rather than the US state variant. I have never even tried to register to vote though, because, quite frankly, I don’t have a clue what is going on over there and don’t follow any politics. I imagine that many “US persons” born overseas to a US parent probably feel the same apathy about voting in the US.
I also imagine that simply living overseas for a long time dilutes one’s interest in the political affairs of his or her country of origin, with the catch that this would apply to people who view themselves as immigrants. People who view themselves as expats are the people who seem to keep up with the daily politics of their countries of origin even after many years overseas. Think of all of the Brits living in Spain – They don’t view themselves as immigrants, but rather as expats and tend to follow the politics in the UK to the letter but might not be too interested in Spanish politics at all (probably even more so before the crisis began).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/09/british-abroad-expats-immigrants-indians
I think that it is a rare breed of person who actively participates in the political process of both a country of origin and residence, which probably explains the dismal voting numbers that you referenced in the post. I bet that the majority of the 6 percent who voted last time are expats on temporary, package-deal company transfers for little more than a couple of years.
Also, not to be rude, but I think that after the way that “US persons” have been treated many would prefer to just renounce (I just did in June) rather than continue to try to change things. Its made alot of us too negative or pessimistic to even bother caring anymore and we just want out.
Just my thoughts.
@Don, The Brits in France are like that as well. A lot of it has to do with proximity since they are pretty close – just a fast train ride away.
There is a lot of truth in your comment. I’d add another element. Forget the rules, the letter of the law and all that other stuff. I think that for years there was an implicit deal between the U.S. and its citizens abroad . Barring a few bad moments when homeland politicians tried to make political hay, the U.S. government pretty much left us alone. On our side we kept our heads down, didn’t consume any resources and tried not to do anything to embarrass the homeland or call attention to ourselves. I’d say it was a fair deal that worked for all parties. The U.S. gov could pretend we didn’t exist (or that we were just “temporary”) and vice versa.
Today it’s a whole new ballgame and they threw the first pitch. Looking at it very coldly we are in a bad place. They have the law, public opinion and the weight of the U.S. government on their side. We, on the other hand, are disorganized, dispersed and very far from the world where the decisions are being made. That 2000 U.S. citizens checked out of the hotel last year does not, I think, bother them one whit as long as they can manipulate the numbers and control the press. I even suspect that very few of these people, Don, consider either of us to be Real Americans. Their only concern seems to be getting a few bucks out of us before we are liberated.
We have very few avenues to fight this. For those of us who are yet to renounce/relinquish (and perhaps hold out some hope) we need to find ways of hitting back. The U.S. political world may be a monster but it has some soft spots that we can find and exploit. If we could, for example, do some damage by helping to un-elect some of our more notorious detractors (there a few Senate seats up for grabs this year), well, wouldn’t that set the cat among the pigeons? Plus, it would be a damned good show…
So voting is one idea but I’m sure there are others. The renunciations are also doing some good in the sense that they are getting some press and a few people are paying attention. Ultimately, I can’t really say if any of this will do any good and perhaps the wisest course is simply to pay the fine (ahem tribute), walk off the field and forfeit the game.. A suivre.
Oh and sorry for the baseball metaphor. It’s all Just Me’s fault – he convinced me (against my better judgement) to read Moneyball and I’ve thinking about it ever since….:-)
As long as I remain an American abroad, I will be a big proponent of absentee voting in US elections. However, often times the States in question do not make it easy for you. One can only hope that the new online registration software will improve the situation.
What I am referring to is something the State of New York did to myself and two other friends who registered to vote as Americans Abroad. I left the States around 25 years ago and made sure I was registered to vote absentee. Within a year, I was called for jury duty. Luckily, it was the 80s and a simple call from a family member resolved the problem. I have never been called again.
In the 2008 election, two friends of mine in Sweden who are also from the State of New York registered to vote for the first time. Shortly thereafter they were called for jury duty.They have been out of the US even longer than I have. A simple phone call no longer suffices to clear up the matter. They had to supply three years of mortgage/rent statements and electric bills to prove that they did not really reside in the State of New York and could not perform jury duty.
I do not think this should scare anyone off from registering to vote, but it is an issue that hopefully has been dealt with in the online registration process. My friends were so turned off by the experience that they do not want to vote again. We have many discussions about this, but I have not been able to move them as the experience was so distasteful that they do not want to set themselves up for going through this again..
@Lisa, Oh yeah it was a real disaster in years past. I’m pretty sure my 2008 ballot never made it – I didn’t know I had to send it so far in advance. A lot of the issues you talk about your comment were resolved by the MOVE Act. I learned a lot by talking to Susan who runs OVF. An amazing lady, we met in Paris a few months ago and I was volunteering for them before I got ill. Here is a video she made that explains the system that she and the others at OVF built to make the process simple and straightforward. They also have a helpdesk – they know the rules for all 50 states and can answer any question you or your friends might have. They also have a good relationship with the elections officials in the U.S. and with your absentee ballot request they give you the contact information of the person you need to talk to directly in the US to get issues ironed out. The jury duty thing should never EVER happen if you use their process.
http://youtu.be/M3EHlJ-Qj68
*Victoria is right. Those of us who haven’t renounced should vote. If a significant percentage of the 6 million expats voted, the politicians would start to pay attention to our issues.
If you don’t like being ignored by the current administration, then vote against them. I’m taking a hard look at Gov. Gary Johnson, an independent libertarian who is on the ballot in all 50 states. He advocates abolishing the IRS!
Can Americans just show up and vote at the closest Embassy or Consulate if they have registered? I think that I had that option at the Belgian embassy when I was overseas and I know for sure that France allows this since all of my French contacts in Brussels just went to the consulate to vote in the presidential elections. I ask just because I would think that your vote would have a better chance of ‘making it back’ than if you had to send it yourself.
@Victoria
I respect those of you fighting this. I personally don’t have the drive anymore after the past two years since I’ve never viewed the US as my home – Citizenship was more an accident of birth. If the situation were reversed and it were Belgium or the EU trying to do what the US is doing now I would be fighting tooth and nail to change the system.
Vote? You mean paint a bulls-eye on my chest?
*I think Americans Abroad should contribute and be members of ACA: http://www.aca.ch. And, of course they should vote even if this is difficult to do. And let the candidates know about voting for the ones who are supportive to us (is there anyone at this time?).
@markpintree- as far as I can see there are none who have acknowledged the plight of Americans abroad. All that they talk about is the obligation to pay one’s fair share.
*Hear hear! Victoria, this topic was asked/discussed recently in comments of a post on Ricochet. I commented there, mainly because the poster said he had no relationship with the IRS, which gave me an opportunity to give a short blurb (comments are limited to 200 words) on FATCA. I wanted to mention the Isaac Brock Society but am not yet sure I would be allowed to mention another website – I think I could but I will slip it in another time and see what happens. Anyway, the comments give a wide range of opinions ( the most inane IMO was ‘I don’t DO dual citizenship’) but include good reasons to vote. I think your reasons are plenty good enough to nudge me to do it . I did vote in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections, but I want to have my say this time for Congress as well.
No problems on voting, the only question is who to vote for? We know where the democrats have been on the issue. Romney needs to take a stand if he wants the votes from expatriates—otherwise the votes will be spread out just as wishy-washy as the republican position would be. I have had very obvious non-answers in all of my communications.
foxyladyhawk
“I did vote in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections, but I want to have my say this time for Congress as well.”
Then do not complain about YOUR government wanting YOU US CITIZEN to pay it taxes.
@Joe, Now that just doesn’t make any sense. Homelanders have their say about their taxes all the time and last I noticed they were doing a lot of griping (they don’t think the rates are fair or they want an exemption for their particular industry or profession or they don’t want to pay for schools, healthcare, public libraries, you name it). They translate their ire into votes. No reason we can’t do exactly the same thing. And if we lose, well, can’t blame us for trying.
@Mark, Good point. Perhaps some of the finer minds here might think about some kind of scorecard for the current and future U.S. pols. A way of rating them based on issues we care about.
First question – Do you have a passport?
🙂
Bill Nelson (D) was a FATCA yes voter in Florida. He has sent me mumbo-jumbo answers to my FATCA letters. His seat is up in 2012. He has an advantage in campaign spending. Please make sure he disappears as a result of your vote.
@foxyladyhawk, I just checked out your link and wow there are some very interesting comments. I loved what the poster said about having no relationship to the IRS. Uh, does this fellow have a bank account? Has he been filing tax returns? Has he sold any property recently? Should someone clue him and burst his bubble?
scorecard is zero for all involved. Zero response everywhere. Low hanging fruit, unplucked, from the Republican side. Every participant is afraid to take on the 98%’ers. Ron Paul has a letter, otherwise nothing. Mitt Romney will not gain by a vote for Ron Paul, but Romney is afraid—otherwise he is complicit His VP could win votes if he mentions the absurdity of the democratic FATCA position.
*http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/07/to-make-america-great-again-we-need-to-leave-the-country/259653/
@Mark: Thanks for the link. That one took me to The Atlantic general website.
I hope you don’t mind, I will try posting a link to the actual article: To Make America Great Again, We Need To Leave The Country
No one is going to win votes by defending American expatriates.
No vote by expatriates is going to affect any US election outcome.
This is reality.
*This is why I think that at the present time we all must support ACA. http://www.aca.ch. And we should work with ACA to define in which states absentee votes can make a difference in the electoral college. But anyway. if the results of the absentee votes are made public we can show whom we voted for even if as it looks at this time…will be: nobody. In the last election Obama got a lot of votes from us and this was known.
Give me a candidate who represents my interests, and I will vote.
@Mark and Others: I can understand those who still consider themselves US citizens wanting to work through American Citizens Abroad and to vote to try to make a difference.
I personally am of the firm view that I relinquished 40 years ago and will not become involved with any group or organizations that represents Americans. I am NOT American. I am Canadian and only Canadian–despite what United States of Arrogance wants to think.
In 2004, Joe Green of Democrats Abroad told me to “Get with the program. Pennsylvania is a swing state.” Fortunately, I did not follow his advice. If I had, I would now be caught up in a nightmare like Calgary411.