Better late than never… Friday, September 17 was Constitution Day, if you missed it, take a moment to read this excellent post by two American educators living abroad, Marina Mecl and Gladys Cagle Pieniazek. As Marina and Gladys point out, Consitution Day is a good time to read through this historic and vibrant document which is the embodiment of the founding fathers vision for our country. Given today’s political climate and the lack of civil public discourse on public policy, it’s also important to remember that this historic consensus was reached only after much heated debate and compromise.
All posts tagged Representation
This is Overseas Americans Week
This is Overseas Americans Week (“OAW”) – the annual lobbying visit to Washington by the Association of Americans Resident Overseas‘ (AARO), American Citizens Abroad (ACA), and the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas (FAWCO). Stay up-to-date with the latest developments through AARO-OAW blog, “Mr. Coyne Goes to Washington“. Launched today and running only until Friday, April 18, the blog will provide an inside look at OAW.
OAW is good opportunity to write to the members of of your Congressional delegation and enumerate the issues that concern you. While you’re at it, ask your Senators and Representative to join the Americans Abroad Caucus.
18 in ’08
If you’re under 25 and you’re apathetic about voting in the 2008 Presidential Election or if you’re having trouble getting your teenager interested in voting this year, check out 18 in ’08. David D. Burstein, a 19 year-old college student, has produced and directed this nonpartisan documentary aimed at getting 17-24 year-olds to vote. The two year long project features interviews with politicians, political activists, media, students, and pop culture icons. The site states:
18 in ‘08 explains what is at stake for youth in the 2008 election, how decisions made in Washington today will affect young people for years to come, the issues and ideas that engage our generation, what turns us off, why are we so cynical about politics, the role of new media in engaging young voters, and candidates who have inspired youth.
Check out the trailer here. If you haven’t registered to vote yet, go to Overseas Vote Foundation and you can complete the regsitration process in about 10 minutes.
Voting from Abroad – Obstacles and Solutions
In Enfranchising Overseas Voters, National Journal sums up the the obstacles to voting from abroad, the solutions being offered by the Overseas Vote Foundation, and legislative efforts, namely Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney’s (D-NY) proposal to craft a uniform federal voting application for absentee ballot requests. In particular the article highlights problems with the current federal approach to overseas voter registration.
But the department’s Federal Voting Assistance Program has floundered, according to a Government Accountability Office report [PDF] requested by Maloney and Waxman and released in June. Since 2000, DOD has launched several initiatives to facilitate absentee voting using Internet, fax or e-mail technologies, but participation has been pitifully low. DOD pursued but then abandoned an Internet voting program, citing security concerns.
The department “has a terrible track record,” complained Maloney. “During the 2006 election, for example, DOD billed American taxpayers a whopping $830,000 to put together a Web-based overseas voting system. The problem? Only 63 people used it. Do the math — that’s more than $13,000 per vote. We could have flown those ballots back and forth first class for less money.”
NYU’s student newspaper also published an article on voting from abroad to address concerns of students who may be dissuaded from participating in study abroad programs by the fact that their votes in the upcoming presidential election may not be counted.
Overseas Vote Foundation Better than Ever
The best resource for America’s overseas voters just got better.
On October 25, the Overseas Vote Foundation officially launched its new site. Government Computer News wrote about the revamped site and the Army Times also covered the launch.
This visually stunning and supremely user friendly site is a one-stop shop for Americans abroad, both military and civilian, to register to vote, find their election officials and get answers to frequently asked questions. What’s more, OVF provides links to nonpartisan, independent organizations that provide information about the candidates and the issues, e.g. Project Vote Smart, the trusted and invaluable source of information about candidates and elected officials, including: biographical information, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances and interest group ratings.
The site also contains a new State-specific Voter Information Directory that gives:
- state-by-state filing deadlines
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options for how to send and receive voting information
- state-level election official contact information
Young voters, 18-30, living outside the U.S. can join the Youth Vote Overseas (“YVO”) – Facebook Group. According to OVF, “YVO is a place for young voters abroad to exchange information, ideas and links about U.S. elections.”
As always, OVF’s site does not store confidential personal information.
OVF’s cutting-edge resources dedicated to overseas voter registration are changing the focus of the debate on voting from abroad. Until now, we were talking about overcoming the bureaucratic hurdles and pitfalls of the old, paper-based registration and absentee ballot request process. Today we can start focusing on increasing voter turn-out among Americans abroad, and in turn help to inform and shape the debate in Washington.
