March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 June 2010 July 2010
August 2010
September 2010 October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011 March 2011 April 2011 May 2011 June 2011 July 2011 August 2011 September 2011 October 2011 November 2011 December 2011 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012 April 2012 May 2012 June 2012 July 2012 August 2012 September 2012 October 2012 November 2012 December 2012 January 2013 February 2013 March 2013 April 2013 May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 August 2013 September 2013 October 2013 November 2013 December 2013 January 2014 February 2014 March 2014 April 2014 May 2014 June 2014 July 2014 August 2014 September 2014 October 2014 November 2014 December 2014 January 2015 February 2015 March 2015 April 2015 May 2015 June 2015 July 2015 August 2015 September 2015 October 2015 November 2015 December 2015 January 2016 February 2016 March 2016 April 2016 May 2016 June 2016 July 2016 August 2016 September 2016 October 2016 November 2016 December 2016 January 2017 February 2017 March 2017 April 2017 May 2017 June 2017 July 2017 August 2017 September 2017 October 2017 November 2017 December 2017 January 2018 February 2018 March 2018 April 2018 May 2018 June 2018 July 2018 August 2018 September 2018 October 2018 November 2018 December 2018 January 2019 February 2019 March 2019 April 2019 May 2019 June 2019 July 2019 August 2019 September 2019 October 2019 November 2019 December 2019 January 2020 February 2020 March 2020 April 2020 May 2020 June 2020 July 2020 August 2020 September 2020 October 2020 November 2020 December 2020 January 2021 February 2021 March 2021 April 2021 May 2021 June 2021 July 2021 August 2021 September 2021 October 2021 November 2021 December 2021 January 2022 February 2022 March 2022 April 2022 May 2022 June 2022 July 2022 August 2022 September 2022 October 2022 November 2022 December 2022 January 2023 February 2023 March 2023 April 2023 May 2023 June 2023 July 2023 August 2023 September 2023 October 2023 November 2023 December 2023 January 2024 February 2024 March 2024
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29
30
31
News Every Day |

US election: how voting works for Americans overseas

Around 3 million Americans who live abroad are eligible to vote. Ivan Marc/Shutterstock

As early voting continues ahead of the US elections on November 3, many Americans are waiting in long lines to cast their ballots across the US. But for those Americans living abroad who want to vote, there will be no queuing up outside US embassies around the world.

As embassies are federal entities, and it’s states rather than the federal government which run elections, this means embassies cannot be polling stations.

So what are the rules governing how Americans abroad can vote – and how many actually do?

Three million voters

There are 5.5 million American citizens, including military personnel, living abroad. If Americans abroad were a state, they’d be the 23rd largest.

About 3 million of these Americans abroad can vote – the rest are children. The countries with the highest numbers of adult Americans are Canada (622,000), the UK (329,000), Mexico (201,000), France (169,000), and Japan (125,000). London is the largest “American” city in the world outside of the US, with more than 100,000 Americans living in or around the capital.

If overseas voters collectively formed a voting bloc, as French overseas voters do, they would be eligible for roughly 10 electoral college votes under the US system, the same number as Minnesota.

In countries with the most American emigrants, such as Canada, France and the UK, the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, is considerably more popular than President Donald Trump. There are exceptions, however. In Israel, where 113,000 American adults live, Trump is wildly popular, with a 71% approval from Israelis.

Red post box on street with red London bus behind.
London is the largest ‘American’ city outside the US. PHOTOCREO Michal Bednarek/Shutterstock

State-by-state

Election law in the US is highly decentralised, with most aspects of election administration determined by state governments and implemented by officials at the county level. This is true for overseas voters too.

States have differing guidelines about the deadline for receiving overseas ballots. For example, in Florida, overseas ballots postmarked by election day on November 3 but received 10 days later are still valid, whereas in Connecticut, they must be received on election day.


Read more: Over 1 million mail-in ballots could be rejected in the US election — and the rules are changing by the day


Overseas must designate their state of “voting residence”, the state where a person was last domiciled before leaving the US. This residence may remain valid even if the person has no functioning address or continuing ties to the state, and even if they have no intention to return there. For those American citizens who have never lived in the US, most states allow a person to vote in a state where their parent was last domiciled.

In recent years the federal government has passed several acts of Congress which provide a nationwide legal infrastructure for overseas voters, administered by the Federal Voting Assistance Program. The most important of these is the 1986 Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) which provides a federal legal infrastructure for overseas voting. The UOCAVA requires all states to ensure that overseas voters can register using a single form, known as the Federal Post Card Application. It also stipulates that states must send a ballot to voters no later than 45 days before election day.

Another law passed in 2009 requires that states offer overseas voters the option to return their ballot electronically. In practice, this means voters can email or even fax their ballots back to the county superintendent of elections. However, with the exception of Nevada and Montana, voters must first register by completing and signing a printed form, which must be returned in the post to their local election office.

Some states, however, have resisted this federal requirement for electronic voting. In May, the Trump administration also issued guidelines telling states to discourage overseas residents from returning votes electronically because of security risks. The matter is now subject to ongoing litigation by overseas voters.

Low turnout

In spite of these federal protections, overseas voter participation is historically low. Americans abroad are around ten times less likely to vote in US elections than those within the US. In 2016, just 7.8% of eligible Americans living abroad cast their vote in the presidential election. For midterm elections of candidates for the House of Representatives and the Senate, turnout is even lower – at 4.7% in 2018.

Turnout varies by country of residency. About 17% of Americans in Germany voted in the 2016 presidential election, compared to about 7% of Americans in France. Americans living in the UK have the second highest turnout after Germany, while those living in Mexico and South Korea have among the lowest.

Graph showing percentage of American voters who voted in 2016 by region of the world.
Federal Voting Assistance Program

There are multiple reasons why Americans living abroad don’t vote. One explanation may simply be a lack of interest or sense of connection to the elections. Some Americans may avoid voting in elections because establishing a state of voting residence can sometimes make an American eligible for state and local taxes. And in spite of efforts to simplify the process, registering to vote can still be laborious and time intensive.

Every vote counts

While they may not vote in huge numbers, overseas voters can make a difference in a tight election. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won 202 more votes than George W Bush in Florida on election day. But after a recount, Bush was able to overcome Gore’s lead through his advantage in postal voting, including overseas votes, to win by a tiny margin of just 537 votes.

Later, it was revealed that 680 overseas votes were counted illegally. Researchers subsequently estimated that under some realistic scenarios, these overseas votes were enough to tip the election from Gore to Bush.

The Florida 2000 scenario underscores the importance of every vote in a tight contest. Even with their relatively low turnout, American overseas voters can be decisive in US election outcomes.

The Conversation

Richard Johnson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Москва

Всем по местам: в России назвали топ благополучных регионов

I was diagnosed with cancer aged 39… you are never too rich, too famous or too young, says Dr Philippa Kaye

The 10 Intense New Action Movies on Netflix That Left Me on the Edge of My Seat!

Top 10 Love Affair Movies of the 2000s and 2010s

Top 10 Emmanuelle Seigner Movies

Ria.city






Read also

The Goat’s Surf Forecast

Mark Zuckerberg says Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is basically the Taylor Swift of tech

'Some prosecutor should be looking into' Trump's latest legal defense scam: expert

News, articles, comments, with a minute-by-minute update, now on Today24.pro

News Every Day

Top 10 Love Affair Movies of the 2000s and 2010s

Today24.pro — latest news 24/7. You can add your news instantly now — here


News Every Day

Top 5 Websites to Watch FREE Movies - TV Shows (No Sign up!)



Sports today


Новости тенниса
Дарья Касаткина

«Бомж» Дарья передает всем привет»: Касаткина ответила на слова Винер



Спорт в России и мире
Москва

Трехкратный обладатель Кубка Гагарина уволил тренера и назначил нового



All sports news today





Sports in Russia today

Москва

Актера Свиридова госпитализировали из-за инфицирования после операции в Москве


Новости России

Game News

Пробный запуск вампирского градостроя Vampire Legacy: City Builder


Russian.city


Москва

Всем по местам: в России назвали топ благополучных регионов


Губернаторы России
PR time

Концерт "Crush string quartet "с программой «Мировые рок - хиты»


Два человека пострадали в ДТП в Новой Москве

Квиз ко дню основания Большого театра опубликовали на портале «Узнай Москву»

В Норильске в четвёртый раз пройдёт конкурсный отбор «Новые имена»

Московская область - Изготовление металлических навесов


"Прости!!!": Пугачева попросила прощения у Манижи

Дима Билан стал «Мистером Х» в проекте “Новая битва экстрасенсов” на ТНТ

В Москве суд отклонил требование общественника Морозова закрыть YouTube-канал Егора Крида

Фёдор Шаляпин: гений с непростым характером


Теннисистка Александрова оказалась сильнее полячки Швентек на турнире WTA в США

Теннисистка Касаткина отреагировала на высказывания Винер о россиянах

Медведев прошёл в третий круг турнира ATP в Майами

Виктория Азаренко вышла в полуфинал турнира WTA-1000 в Майами



Каждый пятый российский зумер планирует переехать из города-миллионника в Москву

Всем по местам: в России назвали топ благополучных регионов

В России назвали топ самых благополучных регионов по итогам 2023 года

Выпуск ЦФА на платформе «Атомайз» поможет снизить нагрузку на экологию


Югра – победитель Зимних Игр Паралимпийцев «Мы вместе. Спорт» по следж-хоккею

Сын Светличной рассказал, что не знает подробностей о состоянии матери

“Интерстрой” предлагает апартаменты в тихом районе Алушты

Стартовал конкурсный отбор на участие в летней выездной программе литературного проекта «Языковая арт-резиденция»


Форум «Управдом» пройдет в Лобне 28 марта

Стало известно, куда пропал Александр Ревва: «Следили за моей семьей»

Пощады не будет, не ждите: за инструменты и садовую технику на даче начнут штрафовать с 1 апреля

Глава АТА Мкртчян: железнодорожные билеты на юг нужно покупать на старте продаж



Путин в России и мире






Персональные новости Russian.city
ГУАП

Финал всероссийского студенческого трека Олимпиады Кружкового движения НТО «Летающая робототехника» 2024



News Every Day

The 10 Intense New Action Movies on Netflix That Left Me on the Edge of My Seat!




Friends of Today24

Музыкальные новости

Персональные новости