OP-ED by Barbara Steenstrup – In case you are a US citizen in Costa Rica who has still not voted, the following scenario should energize you to vote immediately – especially if you prefer Kamala Harris and Tim Walz over their opponents.
The Presidential election in the United States is on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. For US Citizens abroad, we need to submit our ballets NOW or they won’t arrive in time. Submit your ballot now.
Here is the scenario:
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All US citizens, who have registered to vote, should have received their ballots by email or (snail) mail.
If you vote in a state that requires returning the voted ballot by snail mail, the time to vote is now. Some states allow ballots to be returned by email – in that case there is time to vote in the next couple of weeks.
“Whatever you can do, whatever you are going to do, do it NOW.
Hillary lost by about 85,000 votes. Biden won by half of that. Biden received seven (7) million more votes than Trump, but that is not how the electoral game is played.
Now is not the time to be complacent. Now is the time to follow Michelle Obama’s exhortation: Do Something!
Here’s a reminder of how close we came to a second Trump term, and how volunteer efforts prevented that from happening. And we can do it again now. But will we?”
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In the past, only 7.8% of U.S. citizens living abroad voted in US elections. It is a surprisingly low number given the importance of the impact of US policies on the whole world. Even more than in the past, every vote counts in the 2024 election.
A person may be a one-issue voter, abortion; the economy; immigration; social security; or medical care for all. Others have a basket of concerns including character, respect for the US Constitution, and track record.
If all 6.5 million US citizens living outside of the US voted, the impact would be enormous. As it is, US citizens abroad have still impacted the outcomes of several elections: In 2020, our votes carried Arizona and Georgia for Joe Biden.
Also, in 2020 Jon Ossoff was elected Senator from Georgia through the overseas vote.
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And in 2022, two members of the House of Representatives and Senator Ralph Warnock of Georgia were elected with the margin of victory provided by votes from abroad.
This is what happens if the electoral college vote is tied: Each state delegation to the House votes, and since there are more R-represented states than D -represented states, the R candidate would win…and that process might be overseen by Republican Speaker Johnson, but that would be the deal, and that would surely mean that Donald Trump becomes the President of the United States on January 20, 2025.
The internet has many sources of information on what can happen if the choice of President and Vice-President goes to Congress.
The most detailed explanation is in Wikipedia with many references to the US Constitution. Only a bit is quoted here: “In the United States, a contingent election is used to elect the president or vice president if no candidate receives a majority of the whole number of electors appointed.
A presidential contingent election is decided by a special vote of the United States House of Representatives, while a vice-presidential contingent election is decided by a vote of the United States Senate. During a contingent election in the House, each state delegation votes en bloc to choose the president instead of representatives voting individually. Senators, by contrast, cast votes individually for vice president.
The contingent election process is specified in Article Two, Section 1, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution. The procedure was modified by the Twelfth Amendment in 1804, under which the House chooses one of the three candidates who received the most electoral votes, while the Senate chooses one of the two candidates who received the most electoral votes. The phrase “contingent election” is not in the text of the Constitution but has been used to describe this procedure since at least 1823.”
Please go to the internet if you want to know more. But the bottom line is to vote today. Do not delay.
If you need help, go to help@votefromabroadcr.org or call +506 7137-3570.
The viewpoint presented in the article belongs to the author, and not that of Qcostarica.com or TheQmedia.com. Sharing the contents of this message with others is recommended and permissible.
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