Democrats Abroad
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| Founded | 1964 |
|---|---|
| Affiliations | Democratic Party |
| Website | DemocratsAbroad.org |
Democrats Abroad is the official organization of the Democratic Party for United States citizens living permanently or temporarily abroad. The organization is given state-level recognition by the Democratic National Committee.
Democrats Abroad currently has members in more than 200 countries, with more than 60 organized country committees. There are chapters in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania. These committees are formally represented by the Democratic Party Committee Abroad (DPCA). Some countries with particularly large concentrations of Democratic expatriates even have local chapters. Young Democrats Abroad represents Democrats Abroad in the functions of the Young Democrats of America.
Voting from abroad
One of the prime functions of Democrats Abroad is to assist U.S. citizens abroad in voter registration. To this end, it has created a Website VoteFromAbroad.org which overseas Americans (Democrats and non-members alike) can use to register to vote. Since Presidents and members of Congress are elected by state, Americans abroad vote in the state in which they have most recently lived, each of which has its own registration and voting procedures. This website also has a Spanish-language version for Spanish-speaking voters.
This website asks voters which state they last lived in and then starts a wizard specific to their state that asks for the information necessary to comply with the election laws of that state. After all the information has been supplied, a PDF is created, which the voter can then print, sign, and mail to the address provided (or sometimes fax, or scan and attach to email). Currently only Arizona [1] and Washington [2] offer online voter registration, but Alaska (for example) allows one to fax the application or to scan and attach it to email.
Several weeks before the election, the Board of Elections or County Registrar (states use various names) sends the voter an absentee ballot which the voter then fills out and sends back in order to cast his or her vote.
Activities
In addition to helping Americans living overseas to register to vote, Democrats Abroad engages in many other activities, mostly on a per country or per locality basis. Among other things, Democrats Abroad:
- Provides help where there are problems with absentee ballots
- Organizes lectures, debates, and other events on political topics, often with guest speakers
- Strengthens contact between American ambassadors and consuls and overseas Americans
- Lobbies Congress on expatriate issues (e.g. citizenship for children born abroad etc.)
- Represents Americans abroad in the Democratic National Committee
- Raises funds for the Democratic Party
- Runs a Website containing news for Americans abroad, including the Voting Action Center to provide late-breaking news for voters
Current leadership
Democrats Abroad has eight officers. All of them are elected. The current officers are:
- International Chair Kathryn Solon
- International Vice Chair Ken Sherman
- International Treasurer Arthur Schankler
- International Secretary Julia Bryan
- International Counsel Orlando Vidal
- Regional Vice Chair for the Americas Adrienne Jones
- Regional Vice Chair for Asia/Pacific Alex Montgomery
- Regional Vice Chair for Europe, Middle East and Africa Merrill Oates
Democrats Abroad is represented on the Democratic National Committee by eight members. The International Chair and Vice Chair are ex-officio members of the DNC. These eight DNC members are:
- Kathryn Solon (ex officio)
- Ken Sherman (ex officio)
- Gary Suwannarat
- Stanley Grossman
- Caitlin Kraft-Buchman
- John Eastwood
- Bob Bragar
- Sandra Loridans
Various country committees of Democrats Abroad have local caucuses representing groups such as Young Democrats, minorities, women, and the LGBT community.
History
Democrats Abroad was started with two small committees in London and Paris after Lyndon B. Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater in the 1964 U.S. presidential election. Its original leaders, Toby Hyde and Al Davidson, raised funds and formed committees, and pushed for state-level recognition of Democrats Abroad. DNC Chairman John Bailey allowed Democrats Abroad to send nine non-voting representatives to the Democratic National Convention in 1972; in 1976, the group was granted the status of a state committee, with voting delegates in the Convention.
Over the years, Democrats Abroad has worked for securing the full citizenship rights for Americans living abroad. In particular, the group worked for overseas voting rights issues, supporting the Voting Rights Act of 1975, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act in 1986, and the Federal Emergency Write-In Ballot. Democrats Abroad switched the method of determining convention delegates from a primary to an open caucus in 1992. In 2008, Democrats Abroad switched back to a primary process. Former President Jimmy Carter is the current and first ever honorary chair of Democrats Abroad.[3]
Democrats Abroad sends a delegation to the Democratic National Convention every four years and has done so since 1976.
In 2008, Democrats Abroad launched the first-ever global primary.
Presidential primary of 2016
Results
In the presidential primary of 2016, Democrats Abroad reported a win for Bernie Sanders. Receiving 69% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 31%, Bernie picked up 9 delegates to Clinton's 4. Sanders also received 4 pledged superdelegates. Voter turnout was up 50% from the 2008 election, with 34,570 voters from over 170 countries.[4]
Presidential primary of 2012
For the 2012 Democratic Primaries, Democrats Abroad held its second-ever global primary to choose the Democratic nominee for President. The 2012 Democrats Abroad Global Primary, held from May 1–6, 2012, allowed for in-person voting at more than 90 Voting Centers open in 33 countries around the world, as well as absentee voting via email, fax, and post. Incumbent U.S. President Barack Obama was unopposed in the Global Primary, but the worldwide Global Primary results helped to choose 11 of Democrats Abroad's 25 delegates to the 2012 Democratic National Convention as well as established the weighting for subsequent votes at the Democrats Abroad Global Convention.
Additional votes were held to fill delegate, alternate, page, and standing-committee positions held during the Democrats Abroad Global Convention in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, from May 18–20, 2012. The delegation to the Democratic National Convention included the 11 delegates selected in the Global Primary, 4 more delegates and 1 alternate selected at the Democrats Abroad Global Convention, Democrats Abroad's 8 DNC members, 3 Standing Committee members, and 1 page.
The Democratic National Convention took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, from Sept. 3-6, 2012.
Results
On May 28, 2012, Democrats Abroad released the full list of delegates elected in the organization's Global Primary. The results were certified by the International Chair, Ken Sherman.
Democratic National Convention Delegates
25 delegates, including 8 superdelegates, represented Democrats Abroad at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, from Sept. 3-6, 2012. Democrats Abroad is the official arm of the Democratic Party for Americans living outside the United States.
Presidential primary of 2008
For the 2008 Democratic Primaries, Democrats Abroad enabled millions of U.S. citizens living overseas to have the chance to vote in the first-ever online global primary to choose the Democratic nominee for President.
The Democratic global primary allowed for voting by Internet, fax, and post. Traditional drop-in Voting Centers were also open in more than 30 countries worldwide.[citation needed]
The worldwide election results determined the 14 delegates who joined eight DNC members in Democrats Abroad's delegation of 22 to the Democratic National Convention. These delegates were elected at a combination of regional and global meetings held during early 2008. These meetings also provided an opportunity for Americans abroad to shape the party's election platform.
American citizens living overseas who wanted to vote in the Democratic global primary had to have joined Democrats Abroad by January 31 and then requested a ballot at VoteFromAbroad.org. They could also join in person at voting centers.
The Democrats Abroad Global Primary took place from February 5–12, 2008. Democrats Abroad Regional Caucuses for Europe-Middle East-Africa took place in Brussels on March 15, 2008, and for the Americas and Asia-Pacific in Vancouver, Canada, on April 11, 2008.
The Democrats Abroad Global Convention took place in Vancouver, April 12–13, 2008.
Results
On February 21, 2008, Democrats Abroad announced that Senator Barack Obama won the organization's Global Primary. The results were certified by the International Chair Christine Marques in Geneva, Switzerland.
The results of the Global Primary were as follows:
Under the Democrats Abroad Delegate Selection Plan, the results of the worldwide primary were applied to the Regional Caucuses once the allocation of delegates from each Caucus was made. The results allocated 6 delegates to be elected from the Europe-Middle East-Africa Regional Caucus, 2 from the Americas Regional Caucus, and 1 from the Asia-Pacific Regional Caucus.
There were 4 delegates for Obama and 2 for Clinton from Europe-Middle East-Africa; 1 each for Obama and Clinton from the Americas; and 1 for Obama from Asia-Pacific.
These results determined the allocation of 4.5 delegate votes at the Democratic National Convention. Senator Obama won 3 delegate votes, and Senator Clinton 1.5 delegate votes. A further 2.5 votes were determined at the Democrats Abroad Global Convention in April. In addition, Democrats Abroad held 4 super-delegate votes. A total of 22 delegates, each with a half vote, attended the Convention.
2008 Democratic National Committee Convention Delegates
Twenty-two delegates, including 8 superdelegates, traveled 125,000 miles from around the world to Denver, CO to represent Democrats Abroad at the Democratic National Convention August 25–28, 2008. Democrats Abroad is the official arm of the Democratic Party for Americans living outside of the United States. The 22 delegates each have a half vote, bringing the organization's total votes to 11.
Every member of the Democrats Abroad delegation has taken part in the "Green Delegate Challenge" sponsored by House Speaker and Permanent Convention Chair Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Convention organizers, by obtaining carbon offsets for their travel.
Criticism
 | This article's "criticism" or "controversy" section may compromise the article's neutrality. (October 2012) |
Criticism focused on the internet voting, suggesting the possibility of hacking and other subterfuge,[5] though there was no evidence that such hacking occurred.
Alleged corporate and partisan influence
Professor David Dill of Stanford University questioned whether having a private company run a public election, with little oversight, was appropriate. The software used for Internet voting was provided by the private company Everyone Counts.[5] The provider of internet voting was spun off from an Australian company in 2003.[6] In 2006 the company received an "injection of U.S. private equity" from an undisclosed source.[5][7]
The corporation running the election, Everyone Counts, named Paul DeGregorio, former Republican chair of the Election Assistance Commission as Chief Operating Officer in 2007.[8]
Partial results reporting
The final results for the February 5–12 Democrats Abroad Global Primary were not released until February 21, nine days after the voting had concluded. The initial reporting of results incorrectly reported the results of the election. The error was reported as a result of "a programming error in a spreadsheet column."[9]
Rule 13 allowed reporting of "provisional" results on the first day of voting. Based on partial results, the international news media reported large Obama victories as soon as these manual polling stations closed. These totals did not include any of the postal or Internet votes:
At 3 a.m., there are still around 30 Democrats watching CNN as results are projected on a giant screen. When the news channel reports that Obama has apparently won the international Democratic primary in Jakarta, Indonesia, they begin cheering -- more because the station has just flashed the Democrats Abroad logo on the screen than because the Illinois senator has won.[10]
Tokyo Voting Center Results
These are the results for the Voting Center in Tokyo, this tally is provisional, does not include internet, fax or mailed ballots, and is subject to ratification from the chair of Democrats Abroad. But here goes.... (drum roll please) 2/5/2008 Tokyo Voting Center % report = 83% Obama 13% Clinton 2% Edwards 1.% Kucinich 1.% Richardson
In the end the ballot boxes produced a 971 to 422 victory for Obama.[11]
Voting was scheduled to occur from February 5–12, not just on February 5.[citation needed]
Presidential primary of 2004
In 2004, Democrats Abroad chose its delegates to the Democratic National Convention via the caucus system, similar to the Iowa caucuses. Caucuses are different from primaries. In the latter, people show up, vote, and go home. In a caucus, different areas or rooms are available for each candidate so that his or her supporters can gather and discuss their candidate's strengths and weaknesses. Caucusgoers who are unsure of their choice can move from room to room to hear about multiple candidates. Straw polls may be taken during the process. Eventually, all the caucusgoers meet in a plenary session and representatives from each room give a short presentation on why his or her candidate should be the Democratic nominee. Then a vote is taken. If some candidates' support is below a certain threshold, that candidate is eliminated and everyone is given the opportunity to switch support. Then a final vote is taken and the number of delegates for each candidate is determined, proportional to his or her share of the vote. The final step consists of the actual election of the delegates pledged to each candidate.
Local caucuses were held February 6–9, 2004 and country caucuses February 20–23, 2004. At these caucuses delegates to the regional and world caucuses were elected according to the process discussed above. The regional and world Democrats Abroad caucuses were held back-to-back in Edinburgh, Scotland, March 26–28. The city of Edinburgh held a reception for the delegates at which the mayor spoke and praised the delegates for their active participation in the democratic process.
At the caucuses, politicians spoke, as well as Diana Kerry, the sister of the eventual nominee Sen. John Kerry.
22 delegates and two alternates went to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.
See also
References
- ^ EZ Voter Registration: Arizona's online voter registration system
- ^ "Register to Vote in Washington State".
- ^ http://www.democratsabroad.org/videos/carter Archived 2007-07-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ http://www.democratsabroad.org/global_presidential_primary_results
- ^ a b c "Technology News - CNET News - CNET". CNET.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20080229061740/http://archive.dcita.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/68242/2006_Secrets_of_IT_Inovation_competition_winners.pdf
- ^ "Everyone Counts - Milestones". Archived from the original on December 3, 2006.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Paul DeGregorio, Everyone Counts
- ^ CORRECTION: DEMOCRATS ABROAD ISSUES CORRECTION TO DELEGATES AWARDED TO EACH CANDIDATE
- ^ Berlin Expats Push for Obama and McCain, Spiegel Online. February 6, 2008.
- ^ Obama captures Democrats abroad global primary, Gulf News. February 7, 2008
External links
Media
- NYTimes - Forget Iowa. How About That Antarctica Vote? 16mar08
- "Clinton Adds a Half Delegate." Associated Press, February 27, 2008.
- "Superdelegates Are Flocking to Obama." Associated Press, February 23, 2008.
- "Obama Wins Democrats Abroad Primary." Associated Press, February 21, 2008.
- "The Expat Vote." Newsweek, January 30, 2008
- "Gov. Dean on YouTube Video." Gov. Howard Dean Urges Democrats Overseas to Vote in the Global Primary: January 28, 2008
- "Americans Abroad Participate in Republican, Democratic Politics." U.S. State Department Article: January 25, 2008
- "Americans abroad can now vote online." Associated Press: January 21, 2008
- "Democrats tout first 'global primary'." Christian Science Monitor: January 25, 2008.
- "Efforts increase to enfranchise U.S. citizens abroad." International Herald Tribune: November 28, 2007
- "Campaigns Look Overseas For Votes." Associated Press: May 17, 2004
- Campbell, Blake. "Democrats gathering 'to put US back on track'." The Standard: February 9, 2004.
- Cox, Christopher. "Some Dems go extra miles to beat Bush." Boston Herald: July 29, 2004.
- Higham, Will. "Don't get angry, get even." Progress: January/February 2004.
- LaBelle, G.G. "Americans around world play role in DNC." Associated Press: July 27, 2004.
- Nelson, Fraser. "Democratic battle coming to Scotland." The Scotsman: February 11, 2004.
Informational
- Associated Press profile of 2004 delegates. Includes names and country of residence.